En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Ramstein is a ruined fortified castle in the commune of Scherwiller, in the Bas-Rhin. Probably built at the end of the 13th century by Otto IV of Ochsenstein, Ramstein passed in the early 14th century into the hands of the Habsburgs, and then of the Counts of Württemberg in the second half of that century. The only siege it seems to have undergone in the Middle Ages, during the Dachstein War, ended with its sacking by the people of Strasbourg. After being repaired, it remained inhabited at least until the first half of the 16th century, but was definitively abandoned after being set on fire by the Swedes in 1633.
Long considered to have been built to attack the castle of Ortenberg, Ramstein was presented as the very archetype of the siege castle in most publications from 1898 to the late 1990s. However, new research carried out in the early 21st century has seriously undermined this claim, showing that its location is poorly suited to such a use, whereas more favourable sites were available.
The main surviving feature of Ramstein is its imposing residential tower, although only the north wall and part of the east wall remain. The rest of the castle is rather poorly preserved, but the major clearance and restoration efforts undertaken since the early 21st century have made it possible to reveal once again the outline of much of the outer bailey's enclosure wall and of the walls of the fausse-brayes.
