Location: Kintzheim, Bas- Rhin department Map
Constructed: 12th century
The 12th century Kintzheim castle is located in Kintzheim, Bas-Rhin, at the place called Schlossberg in France. It has been classified as a historical monument since December 1965.
The origins
Kintzheim was known in the sixth century under the
name of Regis Villa. The Merovingian kings had made it the center of
a vast domain encompassing the Lièpvre valley and the forests of
Haut-Koenigsbourg.
In 774, Emperor Charlemagne donated part
of its forests at Gunigesheim (former name of Kintzheim) to the
Priory of Lièpvre.
In 775, Charlemagne, crowned king of the
Lombards, spent the Christmas holidays in the Palatium selestatis
probably located in Kintzheim.
In 843, Emperor Lothaire,
Charlemagne's grandson, gave Kintzheim to Erchangar, count of
Nordgau and father of Richarde, future abbess of Andlau.
The
ruins of the castle dominate the village of Kintzheim.
From
the 12th to the 16th century
Construction of the castle began
around 1250 by order of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. The
keep and the protective rampart which forms part of it were
completed at the end of the 13th century. The main buildings were
built in the 14th and 15th centuries.
In 1341, Emperor Louis
IV, known as "the Bavarian", gave the village of "Kinsen" to the
city of Sélestat.
In 1492, on the orders of Emperor Frederick
III, the landvogt of Alsace, Gaspard de Morimont, sold the castle to
the city of Sélestat.
17th and 18th centuries
In 1633, the
castle was partly destroyed by the Swedes during the 30 Years War.
In 1649, the city of Sélestat sold the castle for 3,000 guilders to
JG de Gollen, former burgomaster of the city who had become minister
plenipotentiary of Emperor Ferdinand III of Habsburg at the Congress
of Westphalia in 1648 (end of the Thirty Years' War) .
Between 1650 and 1670, J. G. de Gollen restored the main building
and the chapel, but did not establish his residence in the castle.
Between 1760 and 1780, the last inhabitant of the castle was a
hermit who maintained the chapel dedicated to the cult of Saint
Jacques.
18th and 19th centuries
Maintained during the
eighteenth century by JG de Gollen, then by the Marquis de Broc, his
heir, the castle was abandoned after the Revolution of 1789. The
roofs disappeared around 1830. In 1801, the Marquis de Broc put the
castle for sale. The city of Sélestat is trying to regain
possession. In 1807, a decree of Napoleon I granted ownership of the
castle to Mathieu de Faviers, but he had to compensate the town of
Sélestat by paying him 2,000 silver marks.
Nineteenth and
twentieth centuries
In 1802, the future baron Gaetan Mathieu de
Faviers bought the castle below which he built a manor in the
Directoire style. The two buildings are connected by an English
garden.
In 1876 the general consolidation of the ruins of
Kintzheim castle was undertaken.
In 1945 during the Alsace
campaign, the castle was used as an observatory and the keep was hit
by shells.
In 1965, the ruins of the castle were classified
as a “historical monument”.
In 1968 the eagle flight was
established in this unique site, and became a major center of
attraction in Alsace, with nearly 150,000 visitors per year.
21st century
Since 1968, the eagle flight has been installed
there, which breeds and presents endangered birds of prey to the
public. Eagles, hawks, vultures and other superb specimens evolve in
this privileged setting and take part in the flight demonstrations
organized daily.
Park of the ruins of Kintzheim castle
The
English garden created from 1803 to 1807 is classified as a
“Remarkable Garden”.
More than 120 remarkable trees have been
inventoried. This park is not accessible directly from the castle
ruin.