Birkenfels Castle

Birkenfels Castle, locally known as Château de Birkenfels or Burg Birkenfels, lies southwest of Mont Ste. Odile in the Bas-Rhin department in France. This area is also known as the Northern Alsace or the Middle Vosges.

Birkenfels Castle was built on a low sandstone rock, on the northern side of the 657 meters high, Kienberg mountain. The defensive value of this site is, obviously, poor. The construction of the castle, by Albrecht Beger, is placed between 1260 and 1262. It was first mentioned in 1289. Habitation of the castle is only proved for the 14th and 15th century. By 1434, the castle is dilapidated and it was finally abandoned during the 16th century.

The castle is purely a residential site. The main building, an irregular trapezoid of 16 meters length, had 3 floors; the ground floor had a defensive use and is equipped with 10, niched, loopholes. The upper 2 floors had a residential use and were equipped with broad windows, which of course made the castle vulnerable. The polygonal keep, which flanks the main building in the south, remained unfinished.

This is a nice castle ruin in a tranquil green setting. It is freely accessible but is takes a 30-minute hike from the nearest road to get to it.

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