David's Diary: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2001

Château du Haut Koenigsbourg

Château du Haut Koenigsbourg is a castle dating as far back as 1147. Commanding a view over Alsace from high up in the mountains at 700m/2297ft, this fortified position allowed the occupants to see everything that was going on and easily retreat in the case of attack. The castle was restored between 1900 and 1908 and pictures in the castle show what a tremendous job it must have been to do the restoration. During renovations they even built a railway for moving construction materials around the site.

We toured the castle starting with the keep. Life revolved around the keep with living spaces, a well, kitchens, and everything needed to survive a siege. There were many examples of stoves, which were the primary source of heat during the cold weather.

Alsace Views

As we continued the tour we walked to the great bastion built to protect the one exposed section of the castle. From the bastion we had views down the mountainside to the valley below. It was a wet and dreary day, which made for an impressionistic view for us, but on clear days you can see the Black Forest across the Rhine. After our visit we found a nearby village where we had a three-course French lunch. There are advantages to living in France and good food is one of them.