Haut-Barr Castle

Haut-Barr Castle — locally called Hohbarr — is the ruin of a high-medieval rock fortress perched on three massive sandstone outcrops above the Alsatian town of Saverne. First documented in 1123, it served as the stronghold of the Prince-Bishops of Strasbourg and earned the medieval epithet 'Eye of Alsace' for its commanding position and perceived impregnability. The castle's most unusual feature is its layout across several disconnected rock platforms linked by wooden bridges, integrating the natural cliff topography directly into its defensive design. Now classified as a French historic monument, the site is reachable via forest trails through the northern Vosges. From the surviving towers, clear-day views extend across the Rhine plain to the Black Forest on the German horizon.