The Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre ( or ''Burg Hohrappoltstein'') is one of three castles (with the

Château de Saint-Ulrich The Château de Saint-Ulrich (also known as Château de Grand-Ribeaupierre or Ulrichsburg) is one of three castles (with the Girsberg and the Haut-Ribeaupierre) which overlooks the ''commune'' of Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin ''département'' ...

and the Château du Girsberg) which overlook the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Ribeauvillé Ribeauvillé (; Alsatian: ''Rappschwihr''; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. Its inhabitants are called ''Ribeauvillois''. Geography The ...

in the

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 th ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of France. Situated at an altitude of 642 m, it overlooks the other two castles.

History

Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre is the oldest of the Ribeaupierre's castles, its existence being known from 1084. It was constructed on an ancient Roman site. Then known as the "''Altenkastel''", it was Anselme de Ribeaupierre who took possession of the castle in 1288. Around 1368, Brunon de Ribeaupierre became owner. Dedicated to a ferocious hatred for the English, he imprisoned Sir John Harleston, who had an imperial safe conduct, in the keep from 1384 to 1387. He was only freed with the payment of a large ransom and after pressure from the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. At the end of the 13th century, the castle became a residence of the Ribeaupierres. Another noted prisoner was held in the keep in 1477. Philippe de Croy, Count of Chimay, ally of

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, was captured by a Ribeaupierre at Nancy. Most of the castle today is completely ruined and surrounded by dense vegetation. It has been listed since 1841 as a '' monument historique'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

. Châteaux de Guirsberg, de Haut-Ribeaupierre et de Saint-Ulrich

References

Bibliography

* Braun, Jean : ''Circuit des châteaux forts d'Alsace'' - Ingersheim : éd. SAEP, 1978 - collection ''Delta 2000''. * Carmona, Christophe & Trendel, Guy : ''Les Châteaux autour de Ribeauvillé et Ricquewihr'' - Sarreguemines : éd. Pierron, 2001 - collection ''Les Châteaux des Vosges : histoire, architecture, légendes'' n°7. Ruined castles in Haut-Rhin Monuments historiques of Haut-Rhin {{Alsace-castle-stub

History

See also

References

Bibliography