Today, I decided to take a trip back in time to visit three of the medieval castles found in Alsace. Alsace has 17 medieval castles of note; however, there are plenty of other castles of lesser note in the region. But before I take you there, I wanted to get you in the medieval mindset. When I think of the medieval time period, I imagine people speaking old English "What art thou doing?" and walking around eating turkey drumsticks. I picture wealthy nobleman peering down from their castle towers, giving orders to their starving, dirty peasants. I see knights wearing heavy armor and fighting off raiding barbarians. Then there are the images from movies like Robinhood, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Ni! Ni!), and Excalibur that come rushing through my mind. 
With these images in mind, I hopped on my father-in-laws' Gold Wing motorcycle and headed 30 miles south of Ottrott to a village called Ribeauvillé. The trees are in full fall color turning the Vosges mountain range into a canvas of yellows, oranges, and reds. Riding parallel to the mountain range, I could see the silhouette of several castles on the mountain tops. I will have to come back and visit these castles on another trip. As I exit the main highway and turn towards the mountains, I scan the horizon and can see the outline of one of the Ribeauvillé castles from a couple miles away. This will make it easy to navigate through the village to the trail heading up to the castles. 
I chose to visit Ribeauvillé as it has three medieval castles and it requires you to climb a steep trail in order to visit them. I was looking forward to the hike. For many of the other castles in the region, you can drive up to them, but not for the castles of Ribeauvillé. In addition, Ribeauville is an attractive option as it is one of the most popular villages on the Alsatian white wine route. The main street meandering through town is a narrow cobble-stoned street that is lined with fine examples of the wood framed houses that make this region so unique. As you walk up the twisty street, you can get a glimpse of the castles perched 1,700 feet above Ribeauvillé on the mountaintop.
The dirt trail leading to the castles winds up a steep hill through a patchwork of vineyards. It took me an hour to climb to the top of the hill to the first castle, Château de Saint-Ulrich. I can only imagine how much work it must have been for the nobleman's servants to haul food and other supplies from the fields in the valley below up to this mountaintop location. Locating the castles on top of the mountain was not done for convenience sake. The view from the castle's tower provides an excellent vantage point from which the nobleman could survey the fields below and any advancing threats from raiding parties. 
Château de Saint-Ulrich: The main castle was built in the 11th century by the Romans and has an impressive number of its walls still in tact. It was originally built to control commerce between the Alsatian plain below and the Lièpvre high valley, which gave access to the other side of the Vosges Mountains. The best feature of this castle is the square shaped tower that provides a panoramic view of the valley below. The castle also had a knight's hall and chapel that were added to the original structure. It was finally abandoned in the 16th century.
Château de Girsberg: Just 100 yards away is the Girsberg castle that was built on a large rock outcropping making it look like an extension of the stone on which it is built. Most of this castle was destroyed over time but the main tower is impressive and still intact.
Château du Haut Ribeaupierre: The third castle is farther up the hill and is the oldest of the three. I did not make it up to visit it as I was running out of daylight. From afar, I could see the circular tower that has survived the centuries.
Additional Information:
- The hike to the 2 castles I visited took 2 hours, add another hour to visit the third. The hike is free of charge. There is a small parking area at the base of the trail.
- Ribeauvillé - the village's official tourist website
- Other Castles in Alsace
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail - classic movie clip at French castle
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