What a French Chateau Must Undergo
An Architectural Deterioration Study of Castles in Ribeauville, France
Research questions:
- How can deep inspection of the present and knowledge of the past help inform the future?
- What are the processes involved with ancient building restoration and destruction and how can we be stewards of preservation?
Saint-Ulrich Castle combines many centuries of builders efforts from the 12th century to the 16th century.
Saint-Ulrich Castle:
This main structure was originally designed with military intentions, as it consisted of only a keep and a residence in the 12th century to control the strategic road connecting the Alsatian Plain to the valley of Liepvre. In the 13th century the large rectangular room with windows was constructed as the Knights Hall, whose walls remain intact today. In the 15th century the Saint Ulrich Chapel was added renaming the castle, as the castle gradually lost its military significance. The Ribeaupierre family left in the 16th century and the castle was further damaged when it was used as a garrison during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century.
Me pictured drawing on site.
Methodology:
I used drawing as a means to investigate distinct parts of the castles’ architecture. Recognizing that not every work needs to be fully developed gave me the space to experiment with different vantage points, styles, and writing implements. I tried to capture the way in which the castles combine a variety of Gothic and Renaissance elements with Romanesque qualities.
Here are some of my less-developed sketches of the castles.
A favorite perch of mine to draw the Château de Saint-Ulrich above the beautiful city of Ribeauville.
Observations:
The upkeep up the castles were quite impressive considering how people are able to climb all over them. The keep in the Château de Saint-Ulrich encourages visitors to ascend to the top to view the rest of the structures, the adjacent castle, and the city of Ribeauville. While the building materials of the structure made it resistant to the elements, there has also been extensive restoration and preservation efforts since the 1990s to maintain the ruins and thereby the safety of those who interact with them. Nonetheless the weather has taken its toll destroying most roofs, revealing the building materials in the walls, and dismantling the outer battlements.
Another vantage point for drawing the Château du Girsberg from atop the tower.
Enjoying and appreciating the stonemasonry construction inside the Château du Girsberg.
An in-progress piece with the landscape inspiring it.
Girsberg Castle drawn in the background.
Girsberg Castle:
Built upon a rocky granite outcropping likely construction began in the first half of the 13th Century. Lightning strike in 1288 destroyed much of the castle after which it was rebuilt and traded to Lords of Girsberg in 1304 thus giving it the name Girsberg Castle. In 1422 a member of the Ribeaupierre allied with others besieged the castle, conquered it and the fell back to the Lords of Ribeaupierre. The castle was expanded along with the keep and Romanesque residential buildings reconstructed. The inhabitants left in the 16th century and the castle fell into decay.
One of the most popular forms of preservation I found was in photography. Tourists and professional videographers alike bring the castles with them into their lives through recordings for later appreciation.
Camping at Camping des Trois Châteaux proved challenging without a tent, as occasional bad weather would roll in. Thank goodness I managed to make shelter to stay dry.
Significance:
This project is important because it helps conceptualize the lifespan of architecture and the built environment around us. This project is important for me specifically because it empowered me to combine my passion for drawing with my love for the remnants of the ancient world around us. I have always had a deep fascination with castles since I was young. I have harbored an interest in all their aspects from their physical construction and defenses, to the ephemeral lives and stories that they once held within. This grant has allowed me to achieve my dream to see real medieval castles first hand and gave me the time to fully appreciate their architecture through study. I feel that this project has also expanded my understanding of the process of erosion caused by nature and humans through observing the various points of decay in the château studies. Through understanding how structures and art evolve, I hope to better understand the importance, permanence, and impermanence of my own art and structures.
In the foreground is the ruins of the Chapel de Saint-Ulrich. Clearly ravaged by erosion, but still maintaining the window frames that indicate its previous use.
Château de Saint-Ulrich and Château de Girsberg from a map view demonstrating how they boarded the mountains with an expansive view of the plains and the city of Ribeauville.
