Wassenberg Castle

About

The Wassenberg is a ruined castle located on the territory of the town of Wasserbourg, in the Upper Rhine. It was illegally built around 1220 by Andreas de Girsberg on land belonging to the Abbey of Payerne and the chapter of Constance. Its builder thus tries to capture the Krebsbach valley, a side valley of the Munster valley, which is being cleared.

In this region already dominated by powerful noble families, the opening of new spaces fueled rivalry between the lords and led to the construction of many castles during the thirteenth century to ensure control. While the Girsbergs were pushed out of the valley at the end of the 13th century, the castle returned to the Hattstatts, themselves replaced by the Ribeaupierre in the 15th century. The building successfully resists a siege in 1425, but is no longer mentioned after 1429 and seems to have been destroyed by an explosion on an indefinite date.

There is virtually no vestige of the castle on the surface, but the study of the earthworks and ancient iconography give an idea of its appearance. The site includes a castral nucleus dominated by a pentagonal dungeon...