Castle of Fleckenstein — Attraction in Haguenau-Wissembourg

What a place. Came here on a Wednesday afternoon with one other adult and my three kids ages 5,3, and 1.5 years. I wore the baby and the other two walked (with some shoulder riding from parking lot for the 3yo). We entered the parking lot at the first entrance, not realizing (or stopping to read the sign) that you can drive all the way to the end of it and be a few minutes walk closer to the trail entrance. Once at the end of the parking lot, or after the sharp turn in the road after the beginning of the lot, you’ll see a trail in the woods that runs parallel to the road (which is at this point restricted to buses or staff only). The trail took us about 10 minutes and has some cool stuff about mining to see along the way. It might have been stroller accessible for an offroading stroller, but we didn’t bring one as there is no way to use it in the castle. Once you get to the information center, you’re in a small little courtyard of sorts, with the ticket and gift shop on the left, a restaurant at the far end, a kids feature on the right (an additional fee that we didn’t purchase), and bathrooms at the entrance on the right. We purchased tickets for us adults as the kids were free (€10 total I believe) and set off to the castle, which took another 5-10 minutes of walking. Once you’re at the castle, there are tons of staircases, both paved and uneven stony ones, in and out of the castle, to explore. It feels like you could get lost in such a good way, with secret staircases and little rooms hidden off the side of halls and stairs. There are fun stories for the kids to follow about someone named Hugo discovering the ruins, and they do a great job with sighs explaining what areas were used for and images showing how it might have been used. The best part of the castle, though, is the top, where it feels like you’re in a castle in the sky. Mind blowing to thing of how they made this castle so long ago, so high on this rock formation. The views are spectacular, even if all you see is forest and other rock formations. There are apparently a few other castles in the area, presumably on a hiking route, but we didn’t have enough time or energy to continue explaining. After the castle, we had ice cream at the cafe and bought toys for the kids at the store (I was pleasantly surprised at the prices). Most of the food was pre prepared quiches and wurst and whatnot which we didn’t want. Overall, this was an amazing afternoon trip that took about 2-3 hours total, for us with about 20 minutes of walking in shade on a forest path with tons of stair climbing once in the castle, for a very reasonable...

Château de Fleckenstein is a ruined castle in the commune of Lembach, in the Bas-Rhin département of France. This fortress, built in the shape of 52 m long boat, has a long history. The castle was built on a sandstone summit in the Middle Ages. An ingenious system for collecting rainwater fed a cistern and a hoist allowed water and other loads to be moved to the upper floors.

A castle is known to have existed on the site in 1165. It is named after the Fleckenstein family, owners until 1720 when it passed to the Vitzthum d'Egersberg family. The family had had a lordship that consisted of four separate small territories in the Bas-Rhin département. In 1807, it passed to J.-L. Apffel and in 1812 to General Harty, baron of Pierrebourg (the French for Fleckenstein: stone town). In 1919, it became the property of the French state.

The rock and the castle have been modified and modernised many times. Of the Romanesque castle, remains include steps cut into the length of the rock, troglodyte rooms and a cistern. The lower part of the well tower dates from the 13th or 14th century, the rest from the 15th and 16th. The inner door in the lower courtyard carries the faded inscription 1407 (or 1423); the outer door 1429 (or 1428). The stairwell tower is decorated with the arms of Friedrich von Fleckenstein (died 1559) and those of his second wife, Catherine von Cronberg (married 1537).

The 16th-century castle, modernised between 1541 and 1570, was shared between the two branches of the Fleckenstein family. Documents from the 16th century describe the castle and a watercolour copy of a 1562 tapestry shows its appearance in this period. Towards the end of the 17th-century Fleckenstein was captured twice by French troops. In 1674 the capture was achieved by forces under Marshall Vauban, who encountered no resistance from the defenders. The castle was nevertheless completely destroyed in 1689 by General Melac. Major restoration work was carried out after 1870, around 1908 and...

Excellent place to visit! Kid and family friendly—this is a place you’ll be sad you missed if you’re visiting the area. There’s ample parking for whatever sized vehicle you’ve got. My minivan had no problems. From there, it’s a short hike to the welcome center—tickets, souvenirs, sitting area, and cafe. Fair priced and quick service! Then, you either go on the kid’s challenge trail OR head directly to the ruins. Visiting the ruins is included in the cost of the kids challenge trail. For my family of 5 (with a 4, 6, and 8 year old), we did the kids challenge trail. It engages the kids as the parents get to soak in the views, and it teaches everyone the history of the area. This ends up taking you on a nature hike thru the woods, and up to the actual ruins. The ruins are amazing—you can feel the history, and are granted some spectacular views. My kids loved it, and my wife and I noted how easy it was to get there, spend a day, and never think twice about much. It’s about an hour and a half from the Kaiserslautern area. The staff speaks German, French, and a fair bit of English. 100%...