Top 4 Castles around Kandel

Little is known today about the building that bears the name "Affelderle" – derived from the Middle High German word "Affalter" for apple tree. It is a "lost castle", a "lost place", where there is not much left to see, and about which not much can be said with certainty anymore. The castle was once also called "Streitstein" or "Schloss Streithberg" (mentioned as such in 1574), and it was probably built in the 10th century by the Weißenburg Abbey to defend the Rhine crossing at Pfortz (Maximiliansau) – Knielingen and to protect against raids by the Normans and Hungarians. The castle was originally built only of wood and earth; it was not until the 11th or 12th century that the stone structure is said to have been built: a motte-and-bailey castle with a strong ring wall and a drawbridge over the moat. Such castles are known from France, where they are called "Motte" ("clod of earth", "mound"). An early medieval castle type, built primarily of wood, whose main feature is an artificially created earth mound with a usually tower-shaped building.

impressive gate system

In the Peasants' War of 1525, the castle in Bergzabern, which was first mentioned in 1333, was plundered and burned down. In the years up to 1532, the destroyed castle was rebuilt as a fortified palace on the same site. The south building was built first, founded on oak piles because of the swampy ground: called the Ludwigsbau after its builder, Ludwig the Black of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. The two round towers in the west and east served to house cannons, and the living and utility rooms were on the two upper floors. The complex was protected by a moat; a connection to the city wall is likely, but cannot be reconstructed today. The Wolfgangsbau was built between 1561 and 1579, a three-wing extension that adjoined the Ludwigsbau to the north. Begun under Duke Wolfgang, the Wolfgangsbau was completed under his son Johann I. The outstanding architectural feature is the giant gate in the Renaissance style. The castle was plundered during the Thirty Years' War. On February 20, 1676, French raiding parties from the Philippsburg fortress burned down the castle and destroyed parts of the town. In 1704, the building had no roof, and the cellars under the Ludwigsbau and the east wing of the Wolfgangsbau were used primarily. From 1720 to 1725, the castle was rebuilt under the direction of the Swedish-Zweibrücken chief building director Jonas Ericson Sundahl and inventory for the living quarters was purchased. In 1728, the castle was habitable again. A high point in the history of the town and castle of Bergzabern was the years 1744 to 1774, when the widow of Christian III, Duchess Caroline of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, had her widow's residence in the castle. The castle suffered damage during the French Revolution as a symbol of the defeat of feudal rule. It was confiscated as national property and subsequently sold on to private individuals in sections. In 1909, the castle burned down completely. The roof structure and interior furnishings in particular were destroyed. Damage occurred again in the Second World War, especially to the giant gate. The building was completely renovated in 1982-1984, and the Bad Bergzabern municipality moved its administrative offices into the castle. Source: https://www.vg-bad-bergzabern.de/slider/schloss/

It's hard to believe that this was once a castle with a moat and defensive walls. Definitely a gem in this city.

The 'Tour des Bouchers' - Butcher's Tower is one of the 15 towers that were built at the end of the 13th century as part of a fortress wall. The tower is called the "Butcher's Tower" because the butcher's guild was responsible for it. When the fortress was demolished in 1706, the Butcher's Tower remained with a few other towers. The tower was used as a prison until the middle of the 18th century. In 2017-2020, the exterior of the Butcher's Tower was restored. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metzgerturm_(Lauterbourg)

Definitely worth a visit

Church of Sainte-Trinity Lauterbourg The church's choir, built in the Gothic style, was built in 1467 during the term of Speyer's Bishop Matthias von Rammung. The roof structure and organ of the church burned in the great city fire of 1678, after which the church was restored and re-consecrated in 1683. In 1711 the church was too small for the growing population, so it was demolished except for the choir and replaced by a new building in its current form, which was completed in 1716 and consecrated in 1719. In 1779 an organ was purchased from Ferdinand Stieffell in Rastatt. During the French Revolution the church was temporarily secularized. A complete renovation took place in 1878. The church was damaged in the Second World War. Jean Gaudin from Paris created today's church windows in 1950. In the 1970s and 1980s the church was renovated inside and out. Source and more: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreifaltigkeitskirche_(Lauterbourg)

The castle is the landmark of the town of Bad Bergzabern. The Dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken once resided there. Today, the castle houses the administration of the Bad Bergzabern municipal association. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Counts of Saarbrücken probably built a moated castle on the site of the present castle. This was first mentioned in 1333 as "Feste Zabern by Lantecken." In 1385, it fell to the Electorate of the Palatinate and, by inheritance, became the property of Palatinate-Zweibrücken in 1410. In 1525, rebellious Lorraine peasants who had taken over the town destroyed the castle complex. Ludwig II of Palatinate-Zweibrücken rebuilt the complex, this time in the form of a castle palace, a mixture of a defensive structure and an unfortified castle. In 1532, the south wing was completed, still striking today due to its two round towers, which served as gun turrets at the time. The castle was still protected by a moat at that time. In 1676, it was largely destroyed by fire after an attack by French troops, but was subsequently rebuilt (1720-1725) by the Swedish-Zweibrücken building director. In 1794, the French captured the castle, which was auctioned off as national property in 1803. Around this time, the surrounding moat was also filled in. The castle became the property of the town of Bergzabern, suffered considerable damage in a fire in 1909, and was then used as a school until, after extensive renovations in 1984, it became the seat of the Bad Bergzabern municipal administration. https://www.suedlicheweinstrasse.de/entdecken/gehenswuerdigkeiten/burgen-und-schloesser/infosystem/Schloss-Bad-Bergzabern_Bad-Bergzabern/infosystem.html