En un regard
Le château en bref
Épinal Castle and the ruins of the former fortress overlook the town of Épinal and the Moselle valley at an altitude of 387 m.
It was built by the Bishop of Metz, Jacques de Lorraine, around the mid-13th century, succeeding a first fortress from the year 1000 which, together with Fontenoy-le-Château and Remiremont, was among the first fortresses in the southern Vosges.
Perched on a rocky ridge, it takes the form of a polygonal enceinte with a powerful residential keep and a large cistern with a filtering body. The remains of the seigneurial residence and other buildings (arsenal, captain's lodging, oven, chapel, etc.) were uncovered during excavations of the castle in the 1980s.
Enlarged and adapted for artillery by the Dukes of Lorraine at the beginning of the 16th century, the castle was destroyed by the troops of Louis XIV in 1670. This medieval fortified complex has been listed as a historic monument since 1992.