Mittlebergheim France

Travelled:41km

Stay: Mittlebergheim- free mixed parking, edge of village & vineyards N48.3986 E7.4420

Visited:Saint Hippolyte, Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, Andlau, walk from Mittlebergheim to Andlou Castle.

Another day of vineyards, castles and villages in Alsace. We began with a walk around Saint Hippolyte and once again admired the colombage architecture. As a thank you to the village for providing free motorhome parking we made sure to buy something from the boulangerie..breakfast and lunch was now sorted.

 Then up the hill we went to Haut Koenigsbourg Castle.

 Along the way we stopped to have a look at people picking grapes.

The modern mechanised grape picker.

And then there is People power grape picking

 We decided not to visit inside the castle but enjoyed walking around it and in the inner courtyard. The building is a spectaclular medieval style reconstruction of the original 12thC castle and made of pink sandstone. It was built to watch over the wine and wheat routes to the north and silver and salt routes from the west. 

On a clear day views reach as far as the Black Forest and Alps. Our view was a bit hazy but still beautiful.

 We then wound our way back down to Selestat to do some much needed shopping before heading to Andlau. This village is home to three of Alsace’s Grand Cru Rieslings and once upon a time bears. Now there are only statues and the town’s symbol that show evidence of their existence. 

Having finished our exploration we continued on to the next village of Mittlebergheim.

 After lunch we went for a 2.5hr walk up to Andlau castle ruins. 

Built in 1264 by Count Andlau it was pillaged in 1678. Later it was confiscated by the government and sold to a merchant who then began to sell the castle piece by piece. In 1818 a Andlau family member managed to buy the ruin and it has remained in the family since. Some restoration has been carried out and it is a classified historic monument. After a stroll around we returned to Bluey for a rest and later dinner.