Château de Dreistein
Encyclopedia
The Château de Dreistein is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Ottrott
in the Bas-Rhin
département of France. It is, in fact, three separate castles built on rocky promontories, hence the name drei Stein, "three castles" in medieval German.
, to the west of the abbey. It overlooks the valley of the Ehn which it controls along with the castles of Ottrott
(Koepfel, Rathsamhausen and Lutzelbourg) and the Château du Hagelschloss
. As with the latter, it is close to the Pagan Wall of Mont Sainte-Odile.
Access to Dreistein is only possible on foot, following paths laid out by the Club Vosgien.
from the Vosges
.
The remnants of the two castles are separated by a ditch. The western castle is flanked by a half open staircase tower.
It has been listed since 1990 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Ottrott
Ottrott
Ottrott is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies southwest of Strasbourg.-History:The village was first mentioned in 1059, in Latin in the ordnance survey of Heinrich IV. The area rose to prominence in the 13th century when a number of castles were built....
in the Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
département of France. It is, in fact, three separate castles built on rocky promontories, hence the name drei Stein, "three castles" in medieval German.
Location
The castle is sited on the massif of Mont Sainte-OdileMont Sainte-Odile
Mont Sainte-Odile is a 760 m peak of the Vosges Mountains in Alsace in France. The mountain is named for Saint Odile...
, to the west of the abbey. It overlooks the valley of the Ehn which it controls along with the castles of Ottrott
Ottrott
Ottrott is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies southwest of Strasbourg.-History:The village was first mentioned in 1059, in Latin in the ordnance survey of Heinrich IV. The area rose to prominence in the 13th century when a number of castles were built....
(Koepfel, Rathsamhausen and Lutzelbourg) and the Château du Hagelschloss
Château du Hagelschloss
The Château du Hagelschloss is a ruined castle in the commune of Ottrott in the Bas-Rhin département of France. It was constructed in the 13th century....
. As with the latter, it is close to the Pagan Wall of Mont Sainte-Odile.
Access to Dreistein is only possible on foot, following paths laid out by the Club Vosgien.
History
The Château de Dreistein was built in the 13th or 14th centuries and was separated into two sections later. In the 17th century it was destroyed.Architecture
In common with all the neighbouring castles of its time, the castles at Dreistein are constructed from pink sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
from the Vosges
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
.
The remnants of the two castles are separated by a ditch. The western castle is flanked by a half open staircase tower.
It has been listed since 1990 as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.