Château du Haut Koenigsbourg

Venturing up from the medieval village of Saint Hippolyte the road climbs steeply above the vineyards to Haut Koenigsbourg, the mighty fortress that sits high above the town. This massive castle was rather overzealously restored by Kaiser Wilhelm II in the early part of this century to reflect his concept of what a medieval fortress should look like, complete with massive walls, towering gates, a drawbridge, a keep, a bear pit, towers, a baronial great hall, and an armory. From the walls the view of vineyards tumbling to a sky-wide patchwork of fields that stretches to the Rhine river valley is superb. On especially clear days you can see the very distant outline of the Black Forest. (Closed in Jan.)