Château de Wangenbourg, Wangenbourg-Engenthal, France

The Château de Wangenbourg is a ruined castle in the commune of Wangenbourg-Engenthal. In 1504, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilien I, having vanquished the Prince-elector, Philipp, in the war of succession of Bavaria, confiscated the castle from the Lords of Wangen, cousins Hans and Stephan von Wangen, for the favor to count Tiestein, who himself gave it to the Archbishop of Strasbourg, Wilhelm III von Hohnstein, in 1516. Nevertheless, a branch of descendants of the von Wangens, Georg and Hartmann, continued to occupy the castle. Between 1535 and 1550, they reconstructed their logis in the Renaissance style.

From 1578, the Archbishop of Strasbourg and the lords of Wangen disputed property rights concerning the castle. The Wangens were expelled in 1578, but re-established their rights in 1595. In 1680, the castle was occupied by French troops. In 1702, it was in ruins.

Restoration of the castle started at the beginning of the 20th century, and again in 1931. The footbridge in the photograph was constructed in 1961 to replace the old drawbridge.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jimmy Johnson (7 months ago)
Easy parking and short walk to chateau. Open to free roam and great views from top of the keep.

Sela Beeri (9 months ago)
Nice location for a stop on the way, but I wouldn't go especially to see it.

Postcode 3000 (10 months ago)
We stopped for a rest from driving and to enjoy the sunshine. Interesting place to walk and to climb the tower.

expatmum 2 (11 months ago)
A really nice day out. There is a park and toilets at the foot of the castle, then a nice walk up to the castle where there are renovated parts to climb to the top of the tower and explanations of how it was.

Christian dlP (2 years ago)
If you're too tired to walk long distances in the woods, this fortress (not really a castle) is a wonderful setting for a picnic overlooing the area. And like most architectural vestiges in France, it's free to visit!!!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Mark1792

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.

Château de Wangenbourg

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle