Haguenau France, Rastatt Germany

Day 61 Saturday 4 July 2026

We began the day exploring the ruined castle Falkenstein, then visited Hageunau in France before crossing the boarder into Germany, where we stopped in Rastatt.

The mower men started at 7:15 am in the parkland next to us, so we had our coffee and drove into the forest about 5km out of Philippsbourg to go and see the remains of Falkenstein castle. It was built in the 12th century on the orders of the Count of Lutzelbourg in order to protect his possessions in the Holy Forest of Haguenau. The last of the Lords of Falkenstein sold the castle to Philip IV of Hanau Lichtenberg in 1564. A few weeks after the sale, the castle was destroyed by a violent fire caused by lightning. The few buildings that were hastily rebuilt were finally dismantled by the French in 1680. The ruins sit on  a steep rock of pink sandstone, 117m long, 2 to 10m wide and 22m high.

It took about 15mins of walking through the forest to get there. There were numerous signs and it was fascinating to explore. Great views from the top too.

We had a pit stop in Reichsoffen… yes we are still in France even with that name.

Then parked at the train station in Haguenau and went into town for a look around.

The majority of the imposing buildings in the town were built in the 18th century and include several grand houses. 

We admired St Georges Church.

In the heart of Haguenau's pedestrian city center, the Old Chancellery attracts attention with its richly decorated facade. It features the city's coat of arms and seal, painted at the beginning of the 20th century and restored in 1987.

The municipal architect Georges-Joseph Barth, who designed the Bourgeois Hospital, built and lived in this hotel. The windows are decorated with mascarons, that is to say sculpted heads. Those on the ground floor represent the four seasons. On the 1st floor, the balcony has rounded and curved angles.

The Zuckmantel house was built around the middle of the 1900th century. It is decorated with an oriel window, a closed balcony, located on the facade, carved with Renaissance motifs.

The Haguenau Theatre is one of four Italian-style theatres in Alsace. Built by the Parisian architect Charles Morin in 1846, ten years before the arrival of the railway in the city, it features a metal structure concealed by a traditional pink sandstone façade 

The Fisherman’s Tower with its arch spanning the Moder was used to close access to the city by the river thanks to a harrow system.

Soon we were crossing the border from France into Germany over the Rhine River near Rastatt.  

It is one of the greatest rivers of the continent and among the most important arteries of industrial transport in the world. Starting in the alps in Switzerland it travels 1,230km to the north sea in the Netherlands and 870km of it is navigable. We hop out to watch a cruise boat go through a huge lock. It took 10mins for the lock to fill up.

By the time we arrived in Rastatt we were ready for lunch. We bagged a shady spot in the parking area and walked 15mins into the centre of town. We got to the restaurant with 10mins to spare before the kitchen closed at 2pm… phew! Their specialty was the Schnitzel, so Mark was very happy. Washed down with a beer.. no one was complaining.

Then off exploring we went…

It is a town full of history, culture and architectural splendour. As the royal seat of Baden, Rastatt has a long and fascinating past dating back to the 12th century.

Unfortunately the palace was closed and there was a work fence around the entrance.

We follow a walking trail but there was no information in english…

the Church of St. Alexander in the market square. A wedding was taking place so we couldn’t go in.

The Town Hall.

The Pagoda Castle, a small architectural gem was a former tea house of the margravial family built in 1722. It is set in a lovely garden next to a little chapel and the old water tower.

We made our way back to Bluey and decided we may as well stay the night here.

78km today