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

Riquewihr Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; ) 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 wines produced in the ...

, in the department of

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

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, France. It has been a listed

historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

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 The Château de Bilstein is a castle ruin in the '' commune'' of Riquewihr in the Haut-Rhin ''département'' of France. The origin of the castle dates from the 12th century, with additional building work done in the 14th century. The castle was d ...

, 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 a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

's of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

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 was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

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. * 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, 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 in France and Inzlingen Castle (also known as ) in Germany.

References

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