Bitche Citadel
The citadel is located in the French commune of Bitche in the Moselle département. A masterpiece of military art, the citadel is the most important historic site in the Bitche region.
History
The first mention of the name Bitche appears in a letter dated from the middle of the 12th century, in which the Duke of Lorraine, Mathieu I, asks the Count of Sarrewerden to respect the boundaries and inhabitants of his seigneury of Bitche. In this letter, written in Gothic letters but in Latin, the boundaries of this seigneury are perfectly established. As early as 1170, a Bitis Castrum appears in a document in which Frédéric I of Lorraine calls himself Dominus de Bites, "lord of Bitche". Tradition has it that this first castle of Bitche, or Altbitsch, was located on the Schlossberg to the north of the village of Lemberg. The castle gave its name to the seigneury and then to the town of Bitche. The castle appears to have been more of a hunting lodge in the nearby forest of Lemberg. It seems that at the same time, although it is not possible to date the event, another pavilion was built on the Schlossberg on the site of the current citadel. The strategic importance of this promontory, with its panoramic view over several valleys, could not have escaped the attention of the lords of the time. The second fortified castle was probably built at the end of the 13th century by Count Eberhard de Deux-Ponts, who died in 1321, on what is now the rocky outcrop of the town of Bitche. It was partially destroyed at the beginning of the 16th century during the Peasants' War.
WikipediaWebsite:https://www.citadelle-bitche.com/
