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

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

s (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 Château du Girsberg, Girsberg and the Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre, Haut-Ribeaupierre) which overlooks the ''Communes ...

and the

Château du Girsberg The Château du Girsberg (also ''Guirsberg'', formerly named ''Petit-Ribeaupierre'') is one of three castles (with the Château de Saint-Ulrich and the Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre, Haut-Ribeaupierre) which overlook the ''Communes of France, com ...

) which overlook the '' commune'' of

Ribeauvillé Ribeauvillé ( is the French name of Ràppschwihr (), a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. Geography The town is located around north of Colmar a ...

in the

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 ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' 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 A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

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, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. 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 Chimay (, ) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a population density ...

, ally of

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

, 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 () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

. 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