Château de Reichenstein (Reichenstein Castle) is a ruined castle in the commune of

Riquewihr Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; german: Reichenweier ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other wine ...

, in the department of

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is the ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, France. It has been a listed historical monument since 1990. Ruines du château de Reichenstein The ruin lies in the valley of the Sambach (a local brook). The ruin is near to Château de Bilstein, another castle ruin.

History

The castle was built for the knights of Reichenstein somewhere before 1255 (when it was first mentioned). The knights of Reichenstein were a family of robber barons (''Chevaliers Voleurs'' in French, it is argued that they were also known as ''Rheinstein'' in Germany). This castle was ruined in 1265 by the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

's of

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

and

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...

on the orders of Rudolf of Habsburg, as a

reprisal A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extremel ...

, supposedly because the Reichensteins interfered with the local trade. The castle was never rebuilt. Because of their activities a similar fate befell some of their other properties, after the creation of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...

Alternate name

Because the tower is the most prominent part of the ruin, which is near Riquewihr, the castle is sometimes called "La Tour de Riquewihr" and marked on maps as such.Tour de Riquewihr on Google Maps
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Similar castles

* The castle is not to be confused with the eponymous castle in

Kientzheim Kientzheim (; ; Alsatian: ''Kientza'') is a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Kaysersberg Vignoble. Population Education Previously the local elementary ...

. * Reichenstein Castle in

Arlesheim Arlesheim is a town and a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Its cathedral chapter seat, bishop's residence and cathedral (1681 / 1761) are listed as a heritage site of national significance ...

, Switzerland. * Reichenstein Castle in

Trechtingshausen Trechtingshausen (formerly also ''Trechtlingshausen'') is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The winegro ...

, Germany, also raised on the orders of Rudolf of Habsburg. * Reichenstein Castle in Neckargemünd, Germany. The family known as the ''Reich von Reichenstein'' also held

Château de Landskron The Château de Landskron (or Landskron Castle) is situated in the southern part of Alsace, in the east of France, mere footsteps away from Switzerland, in the commune of Leymen. The village situated at the north of the ruin, Leymen, in the dépa ...

in France and

Inzlingen Castle Inzlingen Castle (german: Wasserchloss Inzlingen), also Reichenstein Castle (''Schloss Reichenstein'') is a medieval castle surrounded by a moat situated in the village of Inzlingen. Inzlingen is located in the district of Lörrach, Baden-Württem ...

(also known as ) in Germany.

References

Ruined castles in Haut-Rhin Monuments historiques of Haut-Rhin {{Alsace-castle-stub