En un regard
Le château en bref
The meagre remains of Höhingen Castle crown the Schlossberg (around 350 m), a rocky knoll in the Kaiserstuhl that rises some 150 m above the wine-growing village of Achkarren, opposite Breisach, about 7 km away. The site controlled the north–south routes on the right bank of the Rhine at two narrow passages: between Riegel and the Black Forest, and between Breisach and Achkarren. The castle is first mentioned in 1259 as a possession of the lords of Üsenberg, but an earlier fortification is likely. After several changes of hands, it passed to the margraves of Hachberg, and then in 1415 to Margrave Bernhard I of Baden. Burned by peasants in 1525, it was restored in 1620 as a defensive stronghold by the Protestant Baden-Durlach line, facing Breisach, which was held by the Habsburgs. During the Thirty Years' War, the Imperial forces took it from the Swedes in 1633 after bombarding it, then set it on fire in 1638. In 1671, its stones were sold to France for the fortifications of Breisach. Removal of stone by local residents has left few masonry remains. The location of the entrance can still be made out, and it corresponds to Merian's engraving (1644). The summit, freely accessible, offers a view of the Black Forest, the Vosges and Breisach. The southern slope is covered with terraced vineyards.
