Château d'Andlau

Exterior view of the castle

The ruins of the castle of Haut - Andlau ( German: Burg Hoh Andlau) is located on the boundary of the French community Andlau in Alsace Department Bas- Rhin. With its distinctive two towers, it is a landmark in the area and a popular tourist destination. She belongs to the famous castle ruins in Alsace and is not far from the neighboring castle ruins Spesbourg.

History

Built on a narrow granite-like rock spur to 451 meters, the castle Hoh Andlau dominated the valleys of Andlau and Kirneck. Almost certainly Eberhard von Andlau built the castle 1246-1264. After the conquest of Alsace, she was sacked in 1678 by the troops of Marshal Créquy. However, until the French Revolution, the castle remained in the possession of the Counts of Andlau and served a forester or gamekeeper in the service of the family as a residence.

During the Revolution, the castle, together with the grounds were confiscated as a national asset and 1796 sold to a merchant who resold the castle to different owners after 1806. Now, the buildings were used as a quarry, as it faced the medieval buildings indifferent. In the spirit of romance bought Antoine -Henri Andlau of the ruins in 1818 and kept them in order from complete destruction. Major repairs were made in 1859, but until 1926 the ruin was classified as a historical monument and thoroughly restored in the next two years through the initiative of the Vosges association. To date, it is in the possession of the family of Andlau. An association takes care of their preservation and use.

Building

The medieval palace has two floors. The high part was built on a narrow rocky outcrop and has a width of 25 meters and a length of 80 meters south-south - east to north -north-west. It forms a long building with a flat, which borders on each end to a tower of about ten meters in diameter. The building was built in a train; only at the poultry farm they took in the 16th century changes. As with the neighboring Spesbourg one used as a building material gained the spot granite from the Vosges.

In the east, a steep mountainside forms a natural barrier for the defense, while the castle is protected on the other side by a broad and deep ditch, which was carved into the rock.