Château du Freudeneck
Encyclopedia
Château du Freudeneck is a ruined medieval castle
situated in the commune
of Wangenbourg-Engenthal
in the Bas-Rhin
département in Alsace
, France
.
Its construction is attributed to members of the Dicka family. Damaged by fire in 1408 and rebuilt, it was finally ruined at the end of the 15th century after several attacks.
infilled with hardcore. Surrounded by a ditch, it is composed of an enceinte
and a keep
on the curtain wall
. The latter, of circular plan, stands on a square buttress
ed base. The external dressed stones present a rustic
embossing without edging, while the stones inside the enclosure are smooth.
A programme of restoration work by volunteers was begun in 2004 with the intention of opening the castle to the public in 2018.
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...
situated 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 Wangenbourg-Engenthal
Wangenbourg-Engenthal
Wangenbourg-Engenthal is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The commune is not a single settlement, but rather an administrative unit comprising the following eight mountain hamlets:...
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 in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, 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...
.
History
The castle was built towards the end of the 13th century, with other construction periods in the 14th and 15th centuries.Its construction is attributed to members of the Dicka family. Damaged by fire in 1408 and rebuilt, it was finally ruined at the end of the 15th century after several attacks.
Description
Built on a rocky outcrop, this small castle is not very homogeneous in its construction. It was built with sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
infilled with hardcore. Surrounded by a ditch, it is composed of an enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
and a 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...
on the curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
. The latter, of circular plan, stands on a square buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed base. The external dressed stones present a rustic
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
embossing without edging, while the stones inside the enclosure are smooth.
A programme of restoration work by volunteers was begun in 2004 with the intention of opening the castle to the public in 2018.