- Château de La Petite-Pierre
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The Château de la Petite-Pierre is a castle in the commune of La Petite-Pierre in the Bas-Rhin département of France. It is the headquarters of the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord. It has been listed as monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since April 1922.[1]
Contents
History
Built at the end of the 12th century, the Château de la Petite-Pierre is recorded form 1212. In 1213, the counts of Parva Petra were forced to yield it to the bishop as an episcopal stronghold. The palatine count Frederic seized it in 1452. In 1566, it became the residence of George John I, Count Palatine of Veldenz, who carried out major works. The French Army occupied the castle in 1677; in 1681 the county was joined with in France. Vauban was charged with improving the fortifications. In 1870 that the fortifications were removed.
Since 1977, the building has housed the administrative services of the Parc naturel régional (Natural Regional Park) of Vosges du Nord. In the multi-media exhibition there, a room is specifically devoted to the history of the castle with, in particular, a superb model of Staedtel, the fortified old town, according to plans of 1771, and an impressive sight of the castle's ancient cistern.
The fortified town,with the Saint-Louis chapel, the 15th century church choir and the bastion tower protecting the cisterns, is closely linked to the castle.
Architecture
The castle is located at the end of a crest, separated from the old town by an artificial ditch dating from the beginning of the 13th century. The pentagonal keep was destroyed in the 19th century. The residence has been greatly altered but in its cellar the filtering cistern dates from the 14th century. On the southern façade are Romanesque windows. The well with Renaissance decoration, the main door with pilasters and the staircase turret date from the 16th century.
The polygonal construction exhibits Gothic ornamentation, in particular hooked capitals.
See also
References
- ^ Ministry of Culture database Château de La Petite-Pierre
External links
- This article incorporates information from this version of the equivalent article on the French Wikipedia.
Categories:- French castle stubs
- Bas-Rhin
- Official historical monuments of France
- 12th-century architecture
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