Haut Koenigsbourg*

The Rhine Valley is studded with castles, most in ruins some restored. Haut Koenigsbourg perches on a ledge, 755 metres high at the junction of former wheat, wine, salt and silver routes. The more than nine-centuries-old former Austrian fortress has housed princes, emperors, lords, dukes, bishops, counts, knights, kings and kaisers.
Within its on average four-metre-thick walls, there have been workshops, a forge, a mill, a 190-foot deep well, a stable, cowshed, draw bridges and a walled medieval garden. Furnished with 12th to 17th century furniture, the baronial apartments, kitchen, chapel, ceremonial hall and an armoury housing some medieval and Renaissance weaponry can be viewed.
I liked the armoury best owing to my morbid fascination with man’s continuing need to slaughter his fellow man. On display were a number of early and late halberds, a far cry from today’s anonymous landmines and cluster bombs. The halberd, a combination spear and battle-axe developed by the Swiss, could, owing to its sheer weight, slice through armour. Since that wasn’t always enough to down one’s opponent, the later modified halberds were designed to pierce a man’s gut and then with a little twist and a pull, effectively disembowel him before moving on to the next ‘enemy combatant’.
Also on display are a few suits of armour. Made to measure, they were a luxury item then as now and weighed twenty to forty kilograms—a heavy load considering that men were smaller in stature than today’s elite warriors, who often carry considerably heavier loads while wearing modern day steel, titanium, ceramic or polyethylene re-inforced flak jackets based on their forerunner, plate armour.
I overheard one guide explain that an armoured knight always lifted his visor with the right hand, a gesture which was the precursor of Dubya’s sometimes snappy salute and another example of ‘old Europe’s’ influence in the New World.
Owing to wars and sieges, the castle, thought to have been built about 1114, has changed hands frequently. It was burned in 1462, rebuilt in 1479, then burned again and left in ruins for several centuries. Today’s tourist has Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to thank for its restoration in the early 1900s. Essentially, it was his attempt to create good public relations with the Alsace, then recently annexed to Germany. To restore the castle to its medieval glory, the Kaiser hired Bodo Ebhardt, an architect familiar with medieval architecture.
On top of the castle, the visitor has a terrific, panoramic view of the plain of Alsace, and on the way down there is a gallery of photographs showing the ruins before and after the restoration.
In 1919, the castle was classified as a National Palace and given back to France according to a provision in the Treaty of Versailles. During World War II, it was used to house collections from museums in Colmar and Strasbourg. In 1944, American troops occupied the castle until Germany surrendered Colmar.
There is plenty of free parking on the road at the foot of the castle including handicapped person’s parking but wheelchair access is difficult considering both the steep road and forest pathway to the castle. According to the website, people possessing an invalid card are admitted for free but anyone in a wheelchair needs to be accompanied. There are three hundred steps of different heights within the castle thus the armoury and apartments are inaccessible to wheelchairs. The grounds outside the castle are wheelchair accessible and although not seen from the top of the castle, the view, nevertheless, is fantastic.
Tours are conducted in French, English and German by well-informed and enthusiastic guides. Ninety-minute long, multi-lingual audio guides can be rented for an additional four euros. There is a souvenir shop and a bookstore, selling mostly French books, inside the restaurant on site. The castle’s only washrooms accessible via a stairway are also in the restaurant.
Located in Orschwiller some twenty kilometres north of Colmar, the castle is open in November, December, January and February from 9:45 to 12:00 and then from 13:00 to 17:00. In March and October it is open from 9:45 to 17:00. In April, May and September, it is open from 9:30 to 17:30 and in June, July and August from 9:30 to 18:30. The castle is closed the first of January and May and on December 25th. The Museumspass is not accepted; entry costs €7.50 (less for students and groups).
www.monum.fr (in English and French)
e-mail: haut-koenigsbourg@monum.fr
Tel: 33 (0)3 88 82 50 60
Fax: 33 (0)3 88 82 50 61