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Origin and history

The castle of Haut-Koenigsburg, located in Orschwiller in the Bas-Rhin, is an Alsatian castle whose origins date back to the 12th century. Built illegally by Frédéric the Borgne on land belonging to the Abbey of Lièpvre, it is mentioned for the first time in 1147 as a strategic point controlling the road of Alsace. The name Königsburg (king's castle) appeared as early as 1157, reflecting its link with the Hohenstaufen, the imperial dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 15th century, the castle, then in the hands of the Sires of Rathsamhausen and the Hohensteins, was transformed into a den of robber knights. In 1462 a coalition of Alsatian cities (Colmar, Strasbourg, Basel) conquered him and burned him after a siege. The ruins were then reinforced by the Thierstein family, which added bastions and artillery towers adapted to the military progress of the time. In 1517, the castle passed under the control of Maximilian I of Habsburg, but the absence of maintenance allowed it to deteriorate.

During the Thirty Years' War (1633), the Swedes laid siege and destroyed the already ruined Upper Koenigsburg. The site was abandoned until the 19th century, when Eugène Viollet-le-Duc proposed consolidation works in 1856. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, it was bought by the city of Seletat and then offered in 1899 to the German emperor William II. The latter undertook a controversial restoration (1901–1908) under the direction of architect Bodo Ebhardt, aimed at reconstructing the castle as it was around 1500, mixing archaeological rigour and romantic vision of the Middle Ages.

Inaugurated in 1908 as a symbol of Alsatian Germanity, the castle became a French national palace in 1919 after the First World War. Its interiors, decorated by the painter Léo Schnug, combine historical elements and stylized reconstructions, such as the Kaiser room decorated with an imperial eagle and currency. In 2007, the property was transferred to the Bas-Rhin department, which has been responsible for its management and conservation. Today, the site attracts nearly 550 000 visitors annually, while remaining a testimony to the heritage and political stakes of Alsace.

The castle is distinguished by its defensive architecture adapted to its rocky spur, with irregular walls, an enhanced dungeon, and spaces such as the Lorrain chapel or the large bastion. The polemics surrounding its restoration, between historical fidelity and artistic interpretation, reflect the debates of the early twentieth century on the preservation of monuments. Despite the criticisms, the reconstruction of Ebhardt is now considered one of the most credible of its time, combining archaeological documentation and educational concern.

Future

At the tourist site of Alsace it is visited year round.

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