Chateau de Lutzelbourg

The Château de Lutzelbourg is a medieval castle ruin, above the town of Ottrott, in the Bas-Rhin department of eastern France (Alsace).^[1] 

Château de Lutzelbourg is a castle founded by Pierre de Lutzelbourg in the eleventh century on a rock high above 322 m the valley of the Zorn in France, Lutzelbourg, Moselle. It is the subject of a classification as historical monuments since February 1930.Pierre's father in Lutzelbourg Frederick Monbéliard is very noble lineage as related to the powerful House of Savoy. At his death in 1092, the magraviat Susa - as inherited by Agnes de Savoie his wife, daughter of Count Peter I, Count of Savoy - was claimed by the Emperor Henry IV, it can therefore return to Pierre. By Pierre duty must be established on ancestral lands between Philippsburg and the Zorn Valley. 1100 Pierre negotiates the exchange of Saint-Quirin Priory with Lutzelbourg castle of the Abbey of Marmoutier in Alsace. Reginald will be the only son of the union of Pierre and Ita, his death a few days after Christmas 1142 left the county without descendants. The bishop of Metz receives sovereignty in 1150 and gives custody to the first Lords of Lutzelbourg.In 1840 the ruins of the castle of Lutzelbourg were saved from demolition by Adolf Germain, notary in Phalsbourg because the owners wanted to sell the materials of the ruined companies who built the railway line.After several successive sales Eugène Koeberlé, professor of medicine in Strasbourg, bought the site. Around 1900 he decided to consolidate the ruins, to excavate and built the neo-Romanesque hall. In 1909, he published his work in Strasbourg Ruins of Castle Lutzelbourg where it reports its findings and assumption.

The castles of Ottrott were built on the plateau of Elsberg about 500 metres above the surrounding land. Two ruins, separated by barely fifty metres, now stand here: the "Rathsamhausen" on the west of the site and the "Lutzelbourg" in the east.

Recent excavations uncovered the foundations of a primitive castle between the current ruins of the castles. This primitive castle, named Old Lutzelbourg, was most certainly built before 1076 on the initiative of the counts of Eguisheim solicitors of Hohenbourg's monastery (Sainte-Odile) located some kilometres away.

This first structure was destroyed by the Hohenstaufens at the beginning of the 12th century but was immediately raised again by them to be finally enfeoffed to Conrad de Lutzelbourg in 1196. In 1198, it was destroyed by arson by the Eguisheim-Dabos.

The construction of the new 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.

The works must have ended after 1220, the Lutzelbourg being always present on the scene, because in 1230 Elisabeth de Lutzelbourg was appointed abbess of the monastery of Hohenbourg. By the middle of the 13th century the castle presently called "Lutzelbourg" was built just below "Rathsamhausen".

Plan of Lutzelbourg

Visitors to the site notice that the defences of "Lutzelbourg" are turned towards its neighbour, always in the hands of the Hohenstaufen. Historians suppose that it was built on the initiative of the Bishop of Strasbourg, Henri de Stahleck, to gain control of the imperial possessions.

During the works, the defenders of "Rathsamhausen" were not idle and built an impressive keep facing its neighbour.

By the end of the 13th century, the Hohenstaufen had already lost all their influence on the Empire and some kind of agreement was probably found between Rudolph of Habsburgand the episcopal party. In 1392, "Lutzelbourg" was enfeoffed to the counts of Andlau who ceded their rights the following year to the Rathsamhausen-Ehenweiers already in possession of the nearby castle. They undertook to reconstruct both at the beginning of the 15th century.

"Lutzelbourg" was again 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.

It has since been known as "Rathsamhausen", the name it has today. The castle was plundered and ruined during the Thirty Years' War.

The castles of Ottrott are nowadays private property. They have been listed as Monuments historiques since 1985.^[1

It has since been known as "Rathsamhausen", the name it has today. The castle was plundered and ruined during the Thirty Years' War.

The castles of Ottrott are nowadays private property. They have been listed as Monuments historiques since 1985.^[1]