The Château du Bernstein is a ruined
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the ''
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
'' of
Dambach-la-Ville
Dambach-la-Ville (german: Dambach) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.
It lies northwest of Sélestat, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains.
Dambach-la-Ville is known for its quality wines.
...
, in the
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
'' of France.
It is situated at an altitude of .
Originally, the castle belonged to the Counts of
Eguisheim Dabo. After the siege of 1227, it became the property of the
bishop of Strasbourg
{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
These persons were bishop, archbishop or prince-bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (including historically Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg):
Bishops and prince-bishops
* Amandus
*Justinu ...
and seat of the episcopal
bailiffs
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...
until 1580. Abandoned from this date, the buildings fell into ruin.
History
The castle at Bernstein is among the oldest in
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...
. 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
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') 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 ...
,
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...
and advanced works probably dates from the end of the 12th century and start of the 13th. In the
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
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. Marguerite 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
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') 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 ...
, lodging, chapel-tower, outbuildings
* 15th century: lower curtain wall, entrance gate, underground well
The Château du Bernstein is state property and has been listed as a '' monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual ...
since 1931.
See also
* List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or viney ...
References
* Braun, Jean, 1978: ''Circuit des châteaux forts d'Alsace''. Ingersheim: éd. SAEP, collection ''Delta 2000''.
* Pollmann, Bernhard, 2003: ''Vosges : 50 randonnées sélectionnées dans les Vosges lorraines et alsaciennes''. Munich: éd. Rother (cf. circuit n°26, pp. 84–85)
External links
Ministry of Culture photo
:''Part of this article was initially translated from this Wikipedia article « fr:Château du Bernstein», specifically fro
this version
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Chateau Du
Ruined castles in Bas-Rhin
Monuments historiques of Bas-Rhin