Ferrette

Ferrette grew below the castle of the counts who ruled much of southern Alsace. Their inheritance passed to the Habsburgs in 1324, and the castle became a garrison and residence for their bailiff. Pledged to the Fugger family from 1540 to 1567, it was strengthened for the age of artillery. The Thirty Years' War brought destruction: French troops burned the upper castle in 1635, and Louis XIV later granted the lordship to Cardinal Mazarin.