Today I went on a little tour with Grace, the school's registrar. She has company visiting from Canada and wanted some help entertaining so she asked me to come with them to a castle across the border in France. On one Internet site the castle was described as a King’s Fairy Tale Castle along the Alsace Wine Road. This castle was built around 1147. It survived until 1633 when it was burned to the ground. It lay in ruins for over 200 years. In 1900 German kaiser Wilhelm II began a restoration project, wishing the castle to symbolize the German power in the Alsace. Kaiser Wilhelm II is the German leader for World War I. So he was keen that his power be seen in the Alsace which has gone back and forth between French and German hands throughout history. It took eight years to restore the castle to its original status. After WWI the Alsace was returned to France and Haut-Koenigsbourg became a French possession.
The view over France from a window in the castle. One problem I had with getting to the castle was that we had to wind up through the mountain. I was afraid I would get carsick but it turned out okay in the end.
