Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg - Orschwiller - TravBuddy

While driving along the wine route (please see my other review) we came across a beautiful castle known as Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg. This is an almost 900 year old medieval mountain fortress which offers an insight in medieval life and boasts a spectacular panoramic view. 2008 is an especially good year to visit this fortress, for it is celebrating its 100-year anniversary of restoration, but later more on that. First let me elaborate on its history.

Internet research taught me Haut-Koenigsbourg is actually the last of several castles to be built on the Staufenberg (el. 800m/2,484 ft.) overlooking the Rhine Plain. Erected in the 12th century atop the ruins of walls originally built by the Romans, the castle occupied a strategic position. Its purpose was to protect the wine and wheat routes to the north, and the silver and salt routes running from west to east. The fort had a long and complicated history between the time of its construction as a military edifice in the 12th century and its destruction in 1633. It served at various times (among other things) as a fortress-residence of vassals of the Dukes of Lorraine and the Bishops of Strasbourg, and as a haven for the robber barons who preyed on the traffic through the nearby pass.

In 1633, the castle's garrison was under the command of Captain Philippe de Lichtenau, an Imperial officer when Swedes attacking through Germany during the Thirty Years' War, besieged it. Although the captain managed to hold out for more than three months within the battered remnants of the castle, finally, out of food and ammunition, with the troops of the garrison mutinously evaporating into the night, de Lichtenau surrendered and the structure was sacked and burned.

Haut-Koenigsbourg lay in ruins until the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who in 1899 financed the restoration of the castle as part of the re-Germanization of Alsace. Inside the building, the sheer refinement of the rooms is extremely impressive, with their wall paintings, Renaissance furniture and enormous cast iron stoves. In the basement, you'll find a collection of mediaeval weapons including crossbows, swords and armour of all kinds.

Today, it is still beautifully restored and well worth a visit, especially on a clear day, when from the top of its towers, one can see across the Vosges, the Rhine, all the way to the Black Forest in Germany and (on a really clear day) even the Alps. However, when we were there, we had a bit of a grey and misty day, so just one photo of the panorama, which will be a lot better when you visit on a clear day.

As I said, 2008 is a good year to visit the fort, but beware: even in a 'normal' year, this castle attracts 600,000 visitors per year.

There is a little café, a library and a museum shop. Entrance fee will set you back only € 7.50 (US$ 11.25), kids under the age of 18 enter free!
Last tip: In July and August, English guided tours are held daily at 14:00.