The Château de Dreistein is a ruined castle in the commune of Ottrott. It is, in fact, three separate castles built on rocky promontories, hence the name drei Stein, 'three stones' in medieval German. It was built in the 13th or 14th centuries and was separated into two sections later. In the 17th century it was destroyed.
The castle is sited on the massif of Mont Sainte-Odile, to the west of the abbey. It overlooks the valley of the Ehn which it controls along with the castles of Koepfel, Rathsamhausen and Lutzelbourg and the Château du Hagelschloss. As with the latter, it is close to the Pagan Wall of Mont Sainte-Odile.
In common with all the neighbouring castles of its time, the castles at Dreistein are constructed from pink sandstone from the Vosges. The remnants of the two castles are separated by a ditch. The western castle is flanked by a half open staircase tower.
Access to Dreistein is only possible on foot, following paths laid out by the Vosges Club.
References:Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, Wales, is recognised around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages. It was a motte-and-bailey castle from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began to replace it with the current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales, and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past, and the Roman fort of Segontium is nearby.
While the castle was under construction, town walls were built around Caernarfon. The work cost between £20,000 and £25,000 from the start until the work ended in 1330. Although the castle appears mostly complete from the outside, the interior buildings no longer survive and many of the building plans were never finished. The town and castle were sacked in 1294 when Madog ap Llywelyn led a rebellion against the English. Caernarfon was recaptured the following year.