FRANCE: Castle Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic location on a rocky spur overlooking the Alsatian plain; as a result it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was restored under the direction of Emperor Wilhelm II. The ruins had been listed as a monument historique since 1862. In 1993, the restored castle was officially designated as a national historic site by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, it is one of the most famous tourist attractions of the region, located on the Alsace wine route. It is unknown when a castle was first built on the site. The first explicit mention that is known dates from 1147. It took its name from the original Königsburg (German, "King's Castle") in 1192. The Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle is located at Orschwiller, Alsace, France, in the Vosges mountains just west of Sélestat. http://www.haut-koenigsbourg.fr/en September 9, 2013