Castle of Haut Andlau
★★★☆☆
Attribution: By Chris06 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Castle of Haut Andlau, with its two characteristic towers, is positioned on a narrow granite outcrop above the valleys of the rivers Andlau and Kirneck.
History
The castle was built from granite blocks in the middle of the 13th century by Eberhard d'Andlau. It consists of an upper castle, a long polygonal building flanked at each end by a circular tower, and a lower court (or a bailey) which has been modified in the 16th century.
In 1678, the troops of marechal de Crequy plundered the castle. It remained in the hands of the counts of Andlau until the French Revolution; at that time, it was confiscated as a national asset. At the beginning of the 19th century it was sold to a merchant who, with great indifference, began to sell the castle stone by stone. Fortunately, a member of the d'Andlau family bought the ruin in 1818 and tried to save it from destruction.
Although repair works were carried out during the 19th century and then in the first part of the 20th century, the castle is now largely a ruin. Just near the castle of Andlau, the nice ruins of the Castle of Spesbourg can also be visited.
History
The castle was built from granite blocks in the middle of the 13th century by Eberhard d'Andlau. It consists of an upper castle, a long polygonal building flanked at each end by a circular tower, and a lower court (or a bailey) which has been modified in the 16th century.
In 1678, the troops of marechal de Crequy plundered the castle. It remained in the hands of the counts of Andlau until the French Revolution; at that time, it was confiscated as a national asset. At the beginning of the 19th century it was sold to a merchant who, with great indifference, began to sell the castle stone by stone. Fortunately, a member of the d'Andlau family bought the ruin in 1818 and tried to save it from destruction.
Although repair works were carried out during the 19th century and then in the first part of the 20th century, the castle is now largely a ruin. Just near the castle of Andlau, the nice ruins of the Castle of Spesbourg can also be visited.
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