| 
| "The original castle was built - probably by the Hohenstaufen family - in the 12th century, at the time of the investiture dispute between the Empire and the Papacy. It was handed over to the Fleckensteins, who used it to guard the Sauer Valley and the approaches to the Forest of Haguenau. During the great interregnum, | | the Fleckensteins acknowledged no masters - until Rudolf of Habsburg became Emperor, and laid siege to the castle in 1276. Following the siege, during which the Bishop of Speyer spent a year as a prisoner in the castle, it seems to have become an imperial fief. At that time, the castle and its lands were owned jointly by three branches of the same family, and were divided into 6 bailiwicks, comprising 35 villages. Thanks to its defences, which were constantly improved as military techniques developed, the castle came through the next four centuries unscathed. During the Thirty Years War, it served as a refuge for the local population. It was destroyed under Louis XIV in 1689. When Henri-Jacques, the last Baron, died in 1720, the ruin reverted to the Prince de Rohan. Requistioned during the French Revolution, it then passed into private hands. Since 1958, it has been maintained, managed and developed by the Lembach and Area Tourist Office (cf. J.L. Vonau, P.N.R.V.N Itinéraires No. 20). The commune of Lembach has owned the castle since 1998. | | |
