Le Haut-Koenigsbourg

The moment you step over the threshold of the great door at Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, you find yourself in a whole new world: the Middle Ages. Cross the lower Courtyard with its inn, forge and mill, then climb the spiral stairways leading to the Lord's furnished apartments. Plunge into an environment of medieval architecture and furnishings steeped in history. The omnipresent drawbridges, armoury, keep and cannons are a constant reminder of the purpose of this mountain fortress, which has been besieged, destroyed and pillaged numerous times since its construction. This prestigious fortress was abandoned after 1633, and then given to Kaiser Wilhelm II von Hohenzollern in 1899 by the town of Sélestat. He commissioned the architect Bodo Ebhardt, a specialist in medieval fortifications, to restore the castle. Its renovation satisfied his passion for the Middle Ages, whilst he dreamt of a return to the old German Empire. French Language