The castle that withstood war and fire

The Château de Lichtenberg, placed in the northern Vosges at the end of the village of Lichtenberg, was initially documented in 1206 as the seat of the Lords of Lichtenberg. The Lichtenberg line eventually devolved to the Hanau family, who became the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg. In the late 16th century, Phillip IV of Hanau-Lichtenberg hired Daniel Specklin, who had designed the fortifications of Strasbourg, to turn the castle into a fortress to protect against the cannon.

In 1678, the castle surrendered to French forces after an eight-day siege. Like many castles in the Alsace region, it was taken over by the Kingdom of France. On 7-9 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the Château de Lichtenberg was bombarded by Württemberg troops, which sparked a large fire that destroyed much of the castle. The castle was designated a French national historical monument (monument historique) in 1878. However, it remained under German control until the end of the First World War, when it was returned to France.

The castle remained in ruins for over a century until a 52 million-franc (€8 million) restoration effort began in the early 1990s. From 1996, two architects, Andrea Bruno and Jean Pierre Laubal, led a long campaign of work to restore the old parts and to create a new space for cultural activities, shows and exhibitions.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons