Chronological milestones

  • 1147 – First records of the Staufenberg castle, built by the Hohenstaufens.
  • 1192 – The castle becomes the Koenigsbourg "Royal castle".
  • 1462 – Destruction of the Habsburg castle.
  • 1479 – The castle is entrusted to the Tiersteins, who rebuild and extend it. A modern defence system is installed. This is the golden age of the Hohkoenigsbourg.
  • 1633 – Siege, pillage and fire at the castle during the Thirty Years War. The ruins are abandoned for two hundredyears, then classified as a historical monument in 1862.
  • 1865 – The castle is acquired by the town of Sélestat.
  • 1899 – Sélestat presents the castle ruins to Kaiser Wilhelm II, following theannexation of the Alsace to Germany in 1871.
  • 1900 -1908 – Wilhelm II appoints the architect Bodo Ebhardt to oversee the complete restoration of the castle. The work is carried out over 8 years.
  • 1919 – Haut-Koenigsbourg becomes the property of the French government and is awarded the status of National Palace.
  • 1993 – The castle is entirely classified as a historical monument and fully restored.
  • 2007 – Ownership of the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle is transferred to the Bas-Rhin General Council within the context of the 13 August 2004 law relative to local government management (“libertés et responsabilités locales”)
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