En un regard
Le château en bref
Lauterbourg, first mentioned in 1252, has its upper town attested as a fortified place ('oppidum') from 1272; the lower town was probably fortified in turn in the 15th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, Louis XIV transformed the town into a stronghold: the medieval east and west walls were destroyed and replaced by a bastioned fortification of earth and pink sandstone ashlar. Surviving today are the Landau Gate, adorned with bas-reliefs of military trophies and royal symbols, and the Butchers' Tower (tour des Bouchers), with friezes of overhanging arches; the Middle Gate (porte du Milieu), 42 metres high and topped since 1748 by a statue of the Virgin and Child, was destroyed in 1945. The ensemble was gradually listed as historic monuments between 1931 and 1993.