Morimont Castle

Morimont Castle, locally known as Château de Morimont or Burg Mörsberg, lies on a forested hill between the villages of Oberlarg and Levoncourt in the Haut-Rhin department in France. This area is also known as the Southern Alsace, the Alsatian Jura or the Sundgau.

Morimont Castle was probably founded in the mid-12th century by the Morimont family who were unfree nobles in the service of the Count of Ferrette. The Morimont family was first mentioned in 1183, their castle around 1242.

After the death of the last Count of Ferrette, possession of the castle passed to Albert II, the Habsburg Duke of Austria, in 1324 through marriage. During the 1356 Basel earthquake Morimont Castle was destroyed but it was rebuilt afterwards.

Troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy besieged the castle twice; in 1445 and in 1468. The Morimont family rose in riches and importance during the 15th century. This enabled them to enlarge and transform the castle to adapt it to the use of artillery. In the 2nd half of the 16th century the Morimont fell on hard times and by 1582 had to sell their castle to the Counts of Ortenburg-Salamanca.

During the Thirty Years' War Morimont Castle was first occupied by Swedish troops and later by French troops. They burned it down in 1637 after which it remained a ruin. It then became a quarry for the locals until 1864 when a consolidation took place.

At present Morimont Castle is freely accessible. A very nice castle ruin with a kind of secluded feel to it. It is situated only some 800 m from the Swiss border.

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