In the late 16th century, Phillip IV of Hanau-Lichtenberg hired Daniel Specklin, who had designed the fortifications of Strasbourg, to turn the castle into a fortress to use and protect against a new weapon: the cannon.

On 7–9 August 1870, during the course of the Franco-Prussian War, the Château de Lichtenberg was bombarded by artillery of Württemberg troops.

The castle became a French national historic site (monument historique) on 1 May 1878, although it remained within German territory until the end of the First World War, when it was returned to France.

The ruins of the Château de Lichtenberg were left for over a century, until a 52 million-franc (€8 million) restoration effort began in the early 1990s.

[2][3] From 1996, two architects, Andrea Bruno and Jean Pierre Laubal, led a long campaign of work to restore the old parts and to create a new space for cultural activities, shows and exhibitions.