[1] The Château d'Ochsenstein is located in the heart of the Forêt domaniale (national forest) of Saverne and occupies the southern end of the Schlossberg mountain, at a height of 584 metres.

The site is surrounded by steep slopes, except to the north of the Schlossberg summit plateau where the terrain is flat.

A forest path marked by a blue rectangle (GR 531) leads to the castle, about 20 minutes away and roughly 110 metres above.

It is part of a chain of Vosges castles near Saverne which were built to defend the passage from the Alsace plain to Lorraine.

Otto II, the eldest, received Ochsenstein Castle - known then as ‘der Fels’ (the rock); the service of the knights who guarded it (the Burgmänner); the mountain on which it is built; and some nearby farms.

The second son, Eberhard, received the Château de Wachelheim: this castle was probably the one that was built on the third stone spur.

The Ochsenstein home thus gained great influence and the castle became the centre of a large Fiefdom that included Marlenheim and Barr (1321).

Otto IV’s zeal and his growing influence caused him to make many enemies, including the Bishop of Strasbourg, Conrad of Lichtenberg, and Guillaume III of Hohenstein.

Otto IV tried to restore the castle to the Duke.In his absence, Guillaume of Hohenstein and the Bishop of Strasbourg attacked Ochsenstein.

Frédéric was obliged to give him half of the Château d'Ochsenstein in 1411 after an arbitration which was conducted by his stepfather, Hanemann II, Count of Deux-Ponts-Bitche.

[8] Economic problems led George de Deux-Ponts-Bitche to mortgage the castle with Ulric of Rathsamhausen-zum-Stein for a value of 2800 florins.

Four years later, when receiving the oath of allegiance of the subjects of the lordship of Ochsenstein, he launched the renovation work (it is likely that the castle was adapted to accommodate firearms at this time).

Philip V, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg, inherited the ruined castle after Jacques’ death in 1570; the Linange-Wesburg family protested and it was only in 1691 that a compromise was reached.