Château de Ramstein

The Château de Ramstein is a ruined castle in the commune of Baerenthal, in the Moselle département of France.

History
This 13th-century castle was built by the lords of Falkenstein on the instructions of the bishop of Strasbourg to control the Zinselbach valley, probably in 1292. During the course of the 14th century, the lords of Ramstein transformed it into a den of brigands and it was destroyed in 1355 during a punitive expedition by the Strasbourgeois and their allies from Berne.

Below the castle can be seen two underground passages dug in 1936 by French military engineers as part of the Maginot Line. They were used as shelter by the local population during the battles of winter 1944-45. This site is currently closed to protect a colony of bats. The site is protected since 1938 by the French Ministry of Culture.

Source

 * French Ministry of Culture database, accessed 14 January 2010