Château du Grand Ringelstein

The ruins of Groß-Ringelstein crown the 645-metre Grand Ringelsberg in the Alsatian Vosges, protected today as a classified French historic monument. The hilltop fortress was built in the late 12th century under the Counts of Eguisheim, one of Alsace's most prominent medieval dynasties, likely as a successor to the nearby smaller fortification of Klein-Ringelstein. In 1470, troops of the Electoral Palatinate stormed and destroyed the castle, setting it on the long path to ruin. The remaining walls are now reached by forest trails through the Vosges, making it a rewarding half-day hike from the Strasbourg region. The summit rewards with open views across the Alsatian plain toward the Rhine valley, with little else but birdsong and medieval stonework for company.