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THE THREE CASTLES OF EGUISHEIM
Excavations on the "Schlossberg" hill have revealed the presence of man about 3000 years before Christ. The Romans built a watchtower here: a tile discovered in 1900 is marked "Prima Legio Martia", a legion which existed during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305).
The first fortress, the middle one, was built by Hugues IV. Divisions within the family resulted in the construction of the other two fontresses. Ravaged and repaired in 1144 and in 1198, all three castles became the property of the Bishop of Strasbourg (as did the town); in 1251 the Bishop awarded the fiefdom of two of the castles to the Earl of Ferrette. Their present names were recorded in 1515 by the historian Berler. The oldest (XIth century) is the Wahienbourg; the newest (early XIIIth century) is the Weckmund, to the south. The Dagsbourg, to the north, remained in the Bishop's hands.
In 1466, during the War of the Six Oboles, the Wahlenbourg and the Weckmund were destroyed by the militia of Turckheim and Kaysersberg. In turn, the Dagsbourg was abandoned two centuries later. Today, only the three massive keeps look down over the vineyards; they are classified as "Historic Monuments", as is the castle in the town centre.
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