Château du Nouveau-Windstein, Rock castle in Windstein, France.

Château du Nouveau-Windstein is a ruined rock castle on a hill west of Windstein, in the Northern Vosges. Its upper ward keeps a residential tower with a shield wall, the lower ward retains building remains, and a barbican stands in front. Massive walls of bossed ashlar survive, while only a few parts were cut from the sandstone rock itself.

A castle existed here by the first half of the 13th century, as its late Romanesque and early Gothic forms show; a charter of 16 July 1205 mentions a dependency of the Windstein castle. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was held jointly by the lords of Windstein with the Lichtenbergs, the counts of Leiningen, the Palatinate and the Eckbrechts of Dürkheim. The Windstein line died out in 1480 with Hans Ostertag von Windstein. French troops destroyed the castle in 1676 after its defence failed, and it was never rebuilt.

The name refers to its origin as a replacement fortress built after an earlier castle was destroyed in the region. Visitors can observe how the defensive design reflects the military thinking of its era through the placement of walls and fortifications.

Access to the site involves a walk of about 30 minutes from the town center, with marked trails of the Alsace Fortified Castles Trail providing clear direction. Sturdy footwear and some physical fitness are helpful, as the ascent is steep and the terrain can be uneven.

The castle has no keep (donjon), unlike most Alsatian rock castles. Only a few parts were cut from the sandstone outcrop itself, and the rock is less massive than at typical rock castles; instead, massive walls of bossed ashlar blocks survive, including the residential tower of the upper ward with its shield wall, remains of the lower ward and a barbican. About 200 metres north lie the scant remains of Mittel-Windstein.