The people behind the restoration
Emblematic figures
from the restoration
At Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, the first decade of the 20th century was marked by several years of intense work. Once again, the fortress' destiny was linked to powerful personalities.
Three of them in particular played a major role in the castle's restoration: German Emperor Wilhelm II, Berlin architect Bodo Ebhardt and Alsatian artist Léo Schnug.
A number of personalities also emerge from the worksite reports.
Here they are...
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht von Hohenzollern), born on 27 January 1859 at Potsdam Castle in Berlin, was the last German Emperor and last King of Prussia. He reigned from 1888 to 1918.
His reign was marked by the industrial revolution and exacerbated militarism.
Wishing to be the modern leader of a dynamic country, he dismissed Chancellor Bismarck in 1890 and launched an economic and social plan that transformed Germany into a major industrial power.
He did not renew the German-Russian mutual assistance pact and pursued an aggressive foreign policy that soon brought him into confrontation with the United Kingdom and France. He drew closer to Austria and Italy and undertook a vast rearmament effort.
In 1914, he committed his country to the First World War. He abdicated on 9 November 1918 and retired to the Netherlands, where he died in 1941.
Throughout his life - fascinated by the classical arts and archaeology - Wilhelm II dreamt of the Middle Ages and chivalric virtues.
Anxious to emulate his grandfather Wilhelm I and follow in the footsteps of the great emperors, he expressed his ambitions in the restoration of Haut-Koenigsbourg. He followed the work very closely, established close ties with the architect Bodo Ebhardt, and visited the site every year.
Born on 5 January 1865 in Bremen to a furniture-maker father, he died on 13 February 1945 at Marksburg castle, where he had lived since 1909.
After studying cabinet-making at the Berlin School of Decorative Arts, he became an architect.
An enthusiast of fortified castles, in 1899 he published ‘Deutsche Burgen’, a book in which he presented reconstructions of ruins. That same year, he founded the Association for the Conservation of German castles (Deutsche Burgenvereinigung) at Marksburg castle in Braubach, Germany.
He publishes Der Burgwart, a magazine about castles, which campaigns for the conservation and, above all, the restoration of medieval castles, earning him a great deal of criticism from opponents of restoration. His passion for the Middle Ages and his restoration of fortified castles won him the sympathy of Wilhelm II, who regularly visited him in his Berlin studio.
As part of the restoration of Haut-Koenigsbourg, he travelled extensively abroad to draw inspiration from existing fortresses. What's more, he often worked on several projects at the same time, earning himself the nickname ‘rasender Bodo’ (Bodo the hurried one!).
Leo Schnug was a draughtsman and a painter, born in Strasbourg in 1878.
A victim of alcoholism and loneliness, he died in the psychiatric hospital at Brumath-Stephansfeld on 15 December 1933. He is buried in Lampertheim cemetery, in the Bas-Rhin department, where his grave can still be visited.
His first involvement with the castle dates back to 1908, when he prepared sketches of the costumes for the inauguration parade. Until 1914, he painted the main murals in the monument, including the famous Emperor's Room and the Hunting Trophy Room. He also produced the following works :
- ‘Saint Martin sharing his cloak’ (Musée de Strasbourg)
- Wall decorations for the Maison Kammerzell and the former Cerf pharmacy in Strasbourg
- ‘Der von Tierstein’ at Lampertheim town hall
Locksmith in Orschwiller (the village at the foot of the castle), he became head of the iron craftsmen. His team produced all the castle's ironwork (locks, portcullises, chains, etc.), installed the machines and maintained them.
Until 1905, he walked up to the castle every day. Then he lived on site, above the forge, and set up his farmyard at the Oedenburg! After the inauguration, he made a few more decorations, including the grille for the Kaiser's room, which he forged with his son Armand. In parallel, he gave guided tours of the monument.
Carpenters' chief. He was already well known in the profession when Bodo Ebhardt asked him to become foreman, reporting directly to him. He married in 1905 and started climbing every day from Châtenois (a village around ten kilometres from the monument), where his descendants still live.
He took part in the finishing work until 1910. In 1908, he was rewarded for his work and awarded the bronze medal of remembrance, of which only nine were given.