Haut-Ribeaupierre was most certainly built during the troubled period of the Great Interregnum, towards the middle of the13th century: it served as an advance post for the French King’s plans for the invasion of Alsace, and then as a watchtower for the prevention of forest fires. The whole castle is towered over by an imposing circular keep, the top of which affords a magnificent view of the Alsatian Plain and the nearby mountain crests.