Château de La Petite-Pierre

The Château de la Petite-Pierre, Burg Lützelstein (German) is a castle in the commune of La Petite-Pierre (German: Lützelstein) in the Bas-Rhin département of France, in Alsace (German: Elsass). All the names of the place are related to "small stone" (Latin: parva petra), and come from Old Franconian Lítzelstäin, with the French name as a translation.

It is the headquarters of the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord. It has been listed as monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since April 1922.

Originally there was a stronghold in the place, built by the family of Hugues IV of Nordgau , Count of Egisheim.

Built at the end of the 12th century, the Château de la Petite-Pierre is recorded from 1212. Count Hugo, either the son or grandson of the powerful Count of Blieskastel , is held as the constructor. The fief was recognised as the "County of Lützelstein", within the German Holy Roman Empire, approximately at the same time.

The counts have used the title Graf von Lützelstein, later also Comte de Petite-Pierre, meaning basically the same, also Comte de Lunéville (in Lorraine), which might be due to a confusion of transferral of power at some point.

A probable, incomplete, order of the early counts of Lützelstein, as precise documentation is not at hand:

In 1223, due to a conflict with the Bishop of Strasbourg, the counts of Parva Petra were forced to yield it as a fief to the bishop as an episcopal stronghold, under the bishop's reign.

...
Wikipedia