Château de Bilstein

Riquewihr, France

The Château de Bilstein is a castle ruin in the municipality of Riquewihr. The origin of the castle dates from the 12th century, with additional building work done in the 14th century. The castle was destroyed in 1636.

The ruin is near to that of another castle ruin, Château de Reichenstein, both popular hiking destinations. The ruin of Chateau de Bilstein lies just off GR 5.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Riquewihr, France
See all sites in Riquewihr

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Agnès ULM (10 months ago)
After a good walk starting from Riquewihr, we finally see it appear.
Stephane Hausknecht (3 years ago)
Splendid view, high koenigsbourg, black forest and large balloon in panoramic view.
John Maletka (3 years ago)
Castle Bilstein is hard work finding, well at least the way I went up. And difficult to find. Ended up following my nose. Because of the tree growth you only get to see the 'ruins' when you arrive close to the site. There are bits of ruined wall around the main keep from which a fine can be had of the surrounding Vosges mountains. Why anyone ever constructed a castle here is beyond me, being so far from the main valley road. But they did and the Bilstein stilled suffered at the hands of foreign invaders...hence the poor lonely ruins today..Bilstein castle 13th...Destroyed 1636 by Austrian troops and never rebuilt. Before and now images taken from a great French castle book by C Carmone and G Trendal...Edition ID....If you like exploring castles in Alsace get it...
Frédéric striker (3 years ago)
Access is quite long but gently sloping. A rather nice little ruined castle. Access to the dungeon by a solid staircase and then one benefits from a superb panorama.
Wes L (4 years ago)
Pleasant hike up to the castle
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Kakesbeck Castle

Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.

The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.