Château de Spesbourg
Encyclopedia
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...
that dominates the valley above the village of Andlau
Andlau
Andlau is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The village owes its origin to Andlau Abbey which was founded in AD 880 by Richardis, the Empress of Charles the Fat...
, in the Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The castle was constructed between 1246 and 1250 by Alexander of Stahleck-Dicka, Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
to Andlau Abbey
Andlau Abbey
Andlau Abbey was a women's collegiate foundation for secular canonesses located at Andlau in Alsace, eastern France.-History:...
. In 1386 it became the property of the family von Andlau. In the 16th century angry locals set fire to the castle after one of the lords seduced a village girl.
The castle fell into ruin after the Hundred Years War.
In 1967 it was registered with the national Inventory of Historic Buildings by the French Ministry of Culture.