En un regard
Le château en bref
Helfenstein Castle stands on a sandstone outcrop in the Northern Vosges, in the commune of Philippsbourg, only about a hundred metres from Falkenstein Castle, from which it is separated by a ditch cut into the rock. Long forgotten, it was rediscovered only in 1927. It is mentioned as a possession of the Dukes of Lorraine and was later held as a fief by the family of Wasselonne; according to the record, it is cited as early as 1264, ravaged by fire in 1315, then besieged and demolished in 1435, a dispute being settled in 1437 by the Bishop of Strasbourg. It was never rebuilt. The remains, very limited, consist of a sandstone block with staircases cut into the rock, a cistern, beam sockets and a well discovered in 1928. The exact layout of the enclosures and the position of the keep cannot be reconstructed. The site, listed by the Inventaire général in 1986, is not protected as a monument historique.