Rohan Castle
Little is known about this structure, as it was replaced in the early 15th century by the Château Vieux (Old Castle) located nearby, in close proximity to the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité, which is still preserved today.
[2] In the next construction phase, a Renaissance castle was built, which was heavily damaged during the Peasants' War in 1525 and subsequently rebuilt.
When Prince-Bishop Franz Egon von Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (1663–1682) arrived, he had what remained demolished and replaced it with a four-winged structure on an almost square layout from 1667 to 1670.
[4] The four successive 18th-century bishops after Franz Egon were from the Rohan family: They continued to expand the palace complex in a baroque style.
In order to furnish the castle, Louis René assembled a vast collection of costly Qing porcelain and lacquerware.
In 1790, Cardinal Louis René Édouard de Rohan-Guéméné moved his residence to Ettenheim, in the eastern part of his principality across the Rhine, thus leaving the palace without a purpose.
[9] The gradual decline of the building was stopped under Napoleon III, at that time still President of the Second French Republic, who promised to take up the matter and rid the town of Saverne of its issue.
[13] After the Franco-Prussian War, Prussian military forces moved into the castle, whose interior was remodeled for this purpose.
The relief sculptures removed from the garden-side façade during the 19th-century renovation were replaced in the central risalit area with new ones meant to resemble the originals.
[16] Today, one of the Palace's wings is used as a youth hostel, and another houses the Espace Rohan, Saverne's 500-seat theatre and concert hall.
The marketplace and the Cour d’honneur are separated by a magnificent wrought-iron fence and two pavilions, or gatehouses, positioned to the right and left of the entrance.
In front of the north-east wing built under Prince-Bishop Franz Egon von Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg, he had an initial park laid out, measuring approximately 600 × 700 meters.
[23] Prince-Bishop Armand I. Gaston Maximilien de Rohan-Soubise expanded the grounds from 1717 to 1733 on a grand scale: the central axis was formed by a 4 kilometres long, straight canal, which extended past Monsweiler to Steinburg.
It was part of a complex system of locks, side canals for overflow, basins, and waterfalls and was fed by the Zorn River.
About two-thirds along its course, there was a large circular lake, 260 meters in diameter, with an island in the center that housed a four-story Chinese teahouse built between 1783 and 1786.
[24] South of the canal, a pheasantry covering several square kilometers was established towards Dettwiller, while to the north a wooded area with a hunting star was created.
[27] When the military used the palace, the area served as a parade ground, and today it is used as an event space for the city, largely devoid of any horticultural elements.
