Construction
Built on a group of three rocks to the west of the hamlet of Waldeck at the end of the 13th century for Duke Ferry III of Lorraine, the castle defended the eastern marches of his domain. The first mention of Waldeck Castle dates from 1316. It then belonged to the Kirkel family, descendants of the Sarrewerden, and part of it was given to the Lichtenberg family. The keep was an ideal observation post for controlling the road linking Alsace to the Abbey of Sturzelbronn and the Palatinate.
Castle peace
A castle peace (Burgfrieden) was signed in 1341 between the Kirkel and the Lichtenberg families, governing their cohabitation in the castle. The Kirkel family died out in 1387 and in 1399 Count Hanemann the Younger of Zweibrücken-Bitche pledged his share to the Lichtenbergs. The castle became the property of the Counts of Zweibrücken-Bitche again in 1395, and in 1443 Frederick of Zweibrücken-Bitche was the sole owner of Waldeck Castle, the Lichtenbergs no longer listing the castle among their properties.
The castle's inheritance
In 1570 the last Count of Zweibrücken-Bitche, Jacob, died and Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg, his son-in-law, inherited Waldeck Castle. The long dispute that arose between Charles III and the Hanau-Lichtenberg family over the payment of the vassalage dues owed to the Duke of Lorraine was not settled until 1606, when the whole County of Bitche, and therefore Waldeck Castle, returned to the Duchy of Lorraine. It was at this time that boundary stones marking the border between the Duchy of Lorraine and the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg were set up. They can still be seen today. The fortress was dismantled in 1633 by the French troops of Marshal de la Force. Another battle took place on 26 March 1761, when the troops of Nicolas d'Origny, the Turpin infantry regiment, dislodged the English battalion stationed there; this victory cost Colonel d'Origny his life.
Emerging from the forest, the keep of Waldeck Castle is an integral part of the Étang de Hanau site. Built on a rocky spur, the castle, whose construction is thought to date from the end of the 13th century, often changed hands. Originally belonging to the Lords of Lichtenberg, it passed in 1395 into the hands of the Counts of Zweibrücken-Bitche until 1570, the year the last representative of the line died.
A few years later, during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was dismantled by the troops of the Marshal of France and was never rebuilt. The ruins of Waldeck Castle are open to the public and have been made safe.
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