Hike to the Landsberg Castle (2h)

Castle of Wangenbourg, of Hohlandsbourg, of Haut-Barr…Alsace does not lack vestiges of ancient castles to discover during a hike, but the Castle of Landsberg, accessible via a 7km loop, that is to say approximately 2 hours, is one of my favorites. Just to get to the starting point of the hike (the Moenkalb forest house), you take a road through the vineyards, with a magnificent view of the plain and the charming village of Barr. The road is then bordered by a line of trees that gives the impression of driving through a green tunnel.

I advise you to park as soon as you see the first cars on the side of the road, on your left. You might as well take advantage of this path on foot and the gaps in the forest overlooking the Vosges and the vineyards! It is also possible to do this hike from Barr, it adds about 4 km round trip of fairly uneven course but with beautiful panoramas.

The way is relatively simple and well indicated: go straight on until you come across the lovely Moenkalb Inn (if you plan to have lunch there, check their opening hours in advance!). Then follow the red rectangle markings, which for a while follows a paved road, but don’t forget to turn right to start a good climb in the forest. This one is dense so you won’t see the castle until you’ve almost reached it.

After this rather sportive climb, we will visit the ruins of the Landsberg castle. It is the ideal place to take a break, with a view of the valley. But be careful, especially with children or in case of rain! The castle was built by Conrad of Landsberg between 1197 and 1200 to protect several nearby abbeys, enlarged in the Middle Ages and then gradually abandoned. It was composed of a palace, whose beautiful facade with its Romanesque windows and oriel can still be seen today, a chapel, several houses with two round towers. The square keep remains the most impressive part of the site.

Once you have finished your visit, follow the blue circle markers (direction Maison Forestière du Moenkalb) to go down to the inn of the same name and enjoy a hot chocolate or a lemonade depending on the season 🙂

If you like castle ruins, I can also advise you to visit the ruins of Ferrette or the castle of Dreistein, located on the very beautiful hike of the pagan wall.

My photos of the hike to the Landsberg castle