Château du Girsberg, Medieval castle ruins in Ribeauvillé, France
Château du Girsberg is a castle ruin perched on a rocky ridge above Ribeauvillé in the Alsace region. The remains include a five-sided keep, courtyard walls, and fragments of residential structures that emerge from the stone outcrop.
The Lords of Ribeaupierre built this fortress in the 13th century and originally called it Stein. In 1304 they transferred ownership to the knights of Guirsberg, who gave the castle its current name.
The castle was part of a network of fortifications that guarded trade routes crossing the Alsatian valleys. Today you can see how this stronghold worked alongside two neighboring fortifications to control the region.
You can reach the site by following the marked Three Castles hiking trail from the Lutzelbach parking area in Ribeauvillé, which takes approximately one hour on foot. The path climbs through woodlands before opening onto the exposed ruins at the summit.
Two brothers who lived in separate castles in the region would shoot arrows at each other's window shutters every morning as a form of sport. This peculiar custom ended in tragedy when one arrow proved fatal.
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