Pflixbourg Castle

Pflixbourg Castle, locally known as Château de Pflixbourg or Pflixburg, lies southwest of the village of Wintzenheim in the Haut-Rhin department in France. This area is also known as the Southern Alsace or the Vosges.

Pflixbourg Castle occupies a, 454 meters high, mountaintop on the southern side of the Fecht valley. It was first mentioned in 1220, under the name of "Blickisberc". It was probably not constructed a long time before, between 1212 and 1219. After 1434 Pflixbourg Castle doesn't get mentioned anymore and archaeological excavations carried out at the site, prove that the castle wasn't inhabited anymore after the 15th century.

There are remains of living quarters against the inside of the curtain walls. Its narrow shaped entrance is guarded by the cylindrical keep, which still stands at its original height of 22 meters. At the foot of the keep there is a cistern. Sadly enough the remains of the castle are very much overgrown which makes it hard to get a good overview of the site.

Pflixbourg Castle is the northernmost castle of the so-called "Route of the 5 Castles", which also includes nearby Hohlandsbourg Castle and the castle group of the 3 Éguisheim castles. A nice route but it is closed to vehicles from mid-November to mid-March every year.

At present the castle is freely accessible but access is at your own risk because of the danger of falling masonry. Getting to it is just a 5-minute walk through the woods from the nearest road.

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