Château d'Altkirch
Encyclopedia
The Château d'Altkirch was a castle
, now destroyed, in the commune
of Altkirch
in the Haut-Rhin
département of France. It is listed as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
who lived at Altkirch in the 11th century The castle could have been built in the 12th century or at the start of the 13th: its first documented mention is from 1231. The discovery of 15th century documents from Milan has prompted several authors to say that the keep
only dates from the 15th century.
Situated at the edge of a spur overlooking the valley of the River Ill
, the castle lost its strategic importance in the 16th century and slowly withered. The owners of the estate after 1659 (Mazarin and his heirs) showed little interest in the structure and some external buildings were put aside (prison, gardener's house)
The keep still existed in 1844 along with some sections of wall. The whole site was cleared in 1855-45 during the construction of a new church, whose bell tower stands on the site of the keep. The remains of the castle were used to level the site. One part still exists - to the north, heavily modified during the 19th and 20th centuries, and called the "maison de guet" (watch house). A chapel was part of the castle, dedicated to St Catherine and equipped thanks to 14th century indulgence, a facsimile of which is in the town archives.
, separated from the town by a ditch, with a circular central keep and other buildings. The castle is known from an engraving by Weiss that appeared in the Alsatia Illustrata de Schoepflin, a painting by Gutzwiller about 1844, and a sketch by Winkler but dated 1883. Finally, a copy of a plan from 1766 gives a precise configuration of the site.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, now destroyed, in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Altkirch
Altkirch
-See also:* Château d'Altkirch - destroyed castle in the town.* Communes of the Haut-Rhin department-References:* -External links :* * * * * * * *...
in the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
département of France. It is listed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.
History
The castle was built by the counts of FerretteFerrette
Ferrette is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is situated close to the Swiss border. Its main attraction is the Château de Ferrette.-County of Ferrette:...
who lived at Altkirch in the 11th century The castle could have been built in the 12th century or at the start of the 13th: its first documented mention is from 1231. The discovery of 15th century documents from Milan has prompted several authors to say that the keep
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 residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
only dates from the 15th century.
Situated at the edge of a spur overlooking the valley of the River Ill
Ill (France)
The Ill is a river in Alsace, in north-eastern France. It is a left-side, or western tributary of the Rhine.It starts down from its source near the village of Winkel, in the Jura mountains, with a resurgence near Ligsdorf, turns around Ferrette on its east side, and then runs northward through...
, the castle lost its strategic importance in the 16th century and slowly withered. The owners of the estate after 1659 (Mazarin and his heirs) showed little interest in the structure and some external buildings were put aside (prison, gardener's house)
The keep still existed in 1844 along with some sections of wall. The whole site was cleared in 1855-45 during the construction of a new church, whose bell tower stands on the site of the keep. The remains of the castle were used to level the site. One part still exists - to the north, heavily modified during the 19th and 20th centuries, and called the "maison de guet" (watch house). A chapel was part of the castle, dedicated to St Catherine and equipped thanks to 14th century indulgence, a facsimile of which is in the town archives.
Description
The castle site consisted of a vast almost circular enceinteEnceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
, separated from the town by a ditch, with a circular central keep and other buildings. The castle is known from an engraving by Weiss that appeared in the Alsatia Illustrata de Schoepflin, a painting by Gutzwiller about 1844, and a sketch by Winkler but dated 1883. Finally, a copy of a plan from 1766 gives a precise configuration of the site.