The Haut-Kœnigsbourg château had been abandoned for two and a half centuries before the Sélestat commune offered it to Guillaume II of Hohenzollern. This member of the house of Hohensollern dreamt only to recreate the German Empire, and to this end he commissioned Bodo Ebhardt, a skilled architect well versed in Medieval fortifications, to oversee the restoration project. Ebhardt took great pains to recreate a typical 15th century fortress in the mountainous landscapes of Alsace.Aside the unsettling time-warp that a tour of this edifice represents, visitors will also enjoy the breathtaking view of the plains of Alsace, the famed Forêt Noire ("Dark Forest"), the Vosges ranges and even the Alpine peaks in the distance when the skies are clear.
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