Two magnificent ruins dominate the Plain of Alsace above the village of Ottrott. Two medieval castles, separated by some ten metres, as if confronting each other: Rathsamhausen and Lutzelbourg.
The construction of the newer castle, known in the middle of the 16th century as Rathsamhausen, was begun by the beginning of the 13th under Otto of Burgundy who had decided to take back control of the region.
'Old Lutzelbourg' was destroyed between 1470 and 1570, probably in 1525 during the War of the Boorish, whereas Rathsamhausen was successively enfeoffed in 1424 to Henri de Hohenstein and then to his son-in-law, Daniel de Mullenheim.
Important Renaissance style renovation works were begun by the Mullenheims between 1520 and 1530. Conrad de Rathsamhausen finally bought back the castle by 1557 from Caspar de Mullenheim. The castle was plundered and ruined during the Thirty Years' War.
Rathsamhausen has a keep that is unique in Alsace and its significant remains give visitors a good understanding of how its inhabitants used to live.
References:Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.
Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.