Château du Bernstein

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The Château de Bernstein is a castle in the commune of Dambach-la-ville, in the Bas-Rhin département of France. It is situated at an altitude of 557m (~1810ft).

Originally, the castle belonged to the Counts of Eguisheim Dabo. After the siege of 1227 it became the property of the bishop of Strasbourg and seat of the episcopal bailiffs until 1580. Abandoned from this date, the buildings fell into ruin.

1 History
2 See also
3 External links
4 Sources

[edit] History

The castle at Bernstein is among the oldest in Alsace. It was first mentioned at the beginning of the 11th century, though the northern surrounding wall can be dated to prehistoric times. The upper castle with keep, manor house and advanced works probably dates from the end of the 12th century and start of the 13th. In the gothic era, the manor house was separated from the keep by a ditch, transformed later into a cistern. Towards the end of the 15th century, the St Margeurite tower, so called from the name of the chapel there, was built in the rear courtyard. Around 1835, Félix Dartein cleared the ground of the lower castle to build a house and some outbuildings which have disappeared.

The remains visible today date from several eras:

13th century: keep, lodging, chapel-tower, outbuildings
15th century: lower curtain wall, entance gate, underground well

Château du Bernstein is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

[edit] See also

List of castles in France

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources

BRAUN, Jean : Circuit des châteaux forts d'Alsace - Ingersheim : éd. SAEP, 1978 - collection Delta 2000.
POLLMANN, Bernhard : Vosges : 50 randonnées sélectionnées dans les Vosges lorraines et alsaciennes - Munich : éd. Rother, 2003. (cf. circuit n°26, pp. 84-85)
www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 7 Feb 2007