Haut-Koenigsbourg

(2 photos)
We don’t go inside many castles, but the massive Châteaux du Haut-Koenigsbourg, situated at the top of a cone-shaped hill, is too imposing to resist. It is located just west of Selestat, and unlike most Châteaux in France that are large stately mansions, Haut-Koenigsbourg really looks like a castle.

A medieval citadel has overlooked this valley since the 1100s. It has been destroyed then rebuilt by one government after the other. In the 1870s, Germany occupied this area, and Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany started reconstruction of this medieval castle. It was completed in 1908, by some other government. Moats, drawbridges, turrets, a roofed wall, many, many steps to the top of the main tower, and museums filled with armor and weapons of ancient days — this is the most “castley” castle of them all.

The second time we were at the top of this hill, it was so crowded no parking was available within a reasonable walking distance. A couple of years later we arrived a few minutes after they had closed for the lunch hour. We easily found a parking place just outside the entrance, prepared lunch, then rested until they opened again after their lunch hour(s). When others returned from lunch and looked for a good parking place, we already had ours. Another wonderful advantage of travel in an RV.
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Another view.