Haut-Koenigsbourg, located 80 kilometers from Colmar (first by train to Selestat, then by shuttle number 500), is one of the Alsatian castles. It stands on the top of Staufenberg Mountain, 755 meters high. The mountain is symmetric, and from a distance, the pink sandstone castle on its top looks like a cherry on a cake. Duke of Swabia, Frederick the One-Eyed, found an ideal place to protect the Wine and Bread Routes that pass the mountain. No one could sneak up unnoticed and catch the castle's inhabitants by surprise.

In the 15th century, the next owners of the castle, the Habsburgs, presented it to the Thierstein family, who further strengthened the citadel, equipping it for artillery attacks. And it was right! During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, Haut-Koenigsbourg withstood many sieges but was still captured and burned by the Swedes. The castle spent two centuries in ruins until the German Emperor Wilhelm II decided to restore it at the end of the 19th century. Restoration work continued for 20 years and stopped in 1918, when Alsace (together with the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg) became part of France, following the Treaty of Versailles. Voila! That is how you can get a brand new castle without investing a single coin!

The Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg got its current appearance thanks to a careful and skillful reconstruction of its historical look. The castle is so large that it is impossible to fit in one photo unless shooting from the foot of the mountain. Today, it is home to the museum, displaying knight's armor and weapons, medieval furniture and dishes. Tourists are allowed to visit the basements, the upper and lower courtyards, the halls of the first and second floors, which can be accessed through the only tower entrance.

The basement housed a kitchen with the shelves where food supplies were kept in case of a siege, and in the courtyard, there was a well 62 meters deep. The castle even had its wall-integrated chapel. To prevent the besiegers from capturing the entire citadel, a suspension bridge was built between its parts. The owners' private chambers and the casemates could be reached by a spiral staircase. Moreover, the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg was so extensive that there was even an orchard within the fortress walls.