France · 13th century
The Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre (German: Hohrappolstein or Burg Hohrappoltstein) is one of three castles (with the Château de Saint-Ulrich and the Château du Girsberg) which overlook the commune of Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin département of France. Situated at an altitude of 642 m, it overlooks the other two castles.
Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre is the oldest of the Ribeaupierre's castles, its existence being known from 1084. It was constructed on an ancient Roman site. Then known as the "Altenkastel", it was Anselme de Ribeaupierre who took possession of the castle in 1288. Around 1368, Brunon de Ribeaupierre became owner. Dedicated to a ferocious hatred for the English, he imprisoned Sir John Harleston, who had an imperial safe conduct, in the keep from 1384 to 1387. He was only freed with the payment of a large ransom and after pressure from the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the 13th century, the castle became a residence of the Ribeaupierres. Another noted prisoner was held in the keep in 1477. Philippe de Croy, Count of Chimay, ally of Charles the Bold, was captured by a Ribeaupierre at Nancy.
Most of the castle today is completely ruined and surrounded by dense vegetation.
It has been listed since 1841 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Text adapted from “Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre ranks #6,004 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #537 of the 793 mapped in France. Founded 1250, it is older than 67% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 19 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Colmar, 14 km away. It is one of the 63 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Alsace. It is stop 25 of 32 on the Alsace castle route, Wissembourg to Mulhouse. See how France compares in the castle statistics.
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