#orschwiller

[livesunique]

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle,

Orschwiller Bas-Rhin département of Alsace, France

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Château du Oedenbourg (Petit Koenigsbourg), Alsace, France

[mostly-history]

Rooms with oriel windows in the first and second floors of the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg (Alsace, France).

The oriel room first appeared in the 13th century, due to increasing affluence and a desire for privacy.  It was a small projecting room, often made of wood, that served as a secluded corner for the lord and his family, and was situated off the upper end of the hall, accessible from the great chamber.  Sometimes it was a landing at the top of external stairs, built over a small room on the ground floor.  It usually had a window, and sometimes a fireplace.

In the 14th century, these small oriel rooms expanded into large upper-floor oriel windows.  The difference between an oriel window and a bay window is that the former is not in contact with the ground.

[plumcoloredblazer]

Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg at Orschwiller, Alsace, France

Photographed by Sigfus Sigmundsson

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Château du Oedenbourg (Petit Koenigsbourg), Alsace, France

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Château du Oedenbourg, Alsace, France

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Château du Oedenbourg, Alsace, France

[livesunique]

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, Orschwiller, Alsace, France,

Cedric Schell Photography