Château du Birkenfels, 13th-century castle ruins in Ottrott, France.
Château du Birkenfels is a 13th-century castle ruin perched on high ground near Ottrott, featuring substantial stone walls, a keep, and remnants of a defensive ditch system. The structure spreads across the slope and clearly shows how a medieval fortress was built to protect its occupants.
The castle was built around 1260 by Burkhard Berger, a vassal of the Strasbourg bishop, to help control the territory. It was positioned along a key route between Mont Sainte-Odile and Champ du Feu and served as a lookout post for centuries.
The castle reflects how medieval lords in Alsace built their strongholds to control the surrounding lands, and visitors can still see how its walls were positioned to watch over the valleys below. The location shows the importance of such fortifications in organizing power and trade routes across the region.
The ruins can be reached via marked hiking trails from Ottrott, though the terrain itself is steep and requires solid footing. Once at the top, the location offers open views across the surrounding forest landscape.
The keep contains well-preserved medieval latrines, a rare architectural feature for fortifications of this period in the region. This practical detail reveals how daily life actually worked inside such a castle.
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