Bergzabern Castle is the landmark of the town of Bad Bergzabern and is located in its centre.
It was once the residence of the dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. Today, the castle houses the administration of the Bad Bergzabern municipality.
History:
In the 12th and 13th centuries, it is thought that the Counts of Saarbrücken probably built a moated castle on the site of the present-day castle. It was first mentioned in 1333 as "Feste Zabern by Lantecken". In 1385, it fell to the Electoral Palatinate and, in 1410, it became the property of Palatinate-Zweibrücken due to succession.
In 1525, rebellious Lorraine peasants who had captured the town destroyed the castle complex. Ludwig II of Palatinate-Zweibrücken rebuilt the complex in the form of a castle, as a mixture of a fortified and unfortified castle. In 1532, the south wing was completed, which is still visible today thanks to the two round towers, which were used as gun turrets at that time. The castle was still protected by a moat at the time.
In 1676, it was largely destroyed by fire following an attack by French troops but subsequently (1720–1725) rebuilt by the Swedish-Zweibrücken director of construction. In 1794, the French captured the castle, which was auctioned off in 1803 as national property. The surrounding moat was also filled in around this time. The castle came into the possession of the town of Bergzabern, suffered considerable damage in a fire in 1909 and was then used as a school until it became the seat of the Bad Bergzabern Associated Municipal Administration in 1984 following extensive renovation work.
