The story of this place
Perched at 757 metres over the Alsatian plain, the medieval fortress of Haut-Kœnigsbourg guarded the wine and wheat routes from the 12th century until it was sacked and burned by Swedish troops in 1633 during the Thirty Years' War, then left a ruin for 250 years. After Germany annexed Alsace in 1871, Kaiser Wilhelm II seized on the ruin as a symbol of Germanic heritage and had it lavishly reconstructed between 1900 and 1908 by architect Bodo Ebhardt. The result—part authentic restoration, part imperial fantasy—became a political statement in stone. Returned to France in 1919, the castle now offers sweeping views across a landscape fought over for centuries.