Our port of departure is Antwerp, but as we have enough time, we can enjoy the route to get there. We crossed Switzerland in 2 days, visiting the famous Rhine Falls, which at 23 metres high and 150 metres wide, are among the most impressive in Europe. Even here, we suppose the amount of water coming down was much less than in other years, but it was nevertheless exciting to watch.
We spent the night at another farm near Zürich, thanks to Landvergnügen, with great views and a lovely sunset. The next day, we reached France, where we had lunch at the river Rhine and continued to a place at the river Ill, where we could go for a swim, as it had 35 degrees again.
Nearby was an impressive castle, overlooking the Rhine valley, which we were curious to visit the next day. Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle was first mentioned in 1147, when it belonged to the Hohenstaufen family. In the Middle Ages, it was used to watch over important trade routes in the region. In 1462, it was attacked and burned by a coalition of Alsatian and Swiss cities. During the Thirty Years’ War in 1633, Swedish troops captured, looted, and burned it again. After that, the castle remained in ruins for more than 250 years. In 1899, the ruined castle was given to Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, who ordered a full reconstruction. The restoration was meant to create a symbol of German imperial power.
Historians have established that, although it is not a completely accurate reconstruction, it is at least interesting for what it shows about Wilhelm II’s romantic nationalist ideas of the past and the architect’s work. Bodo Ebhardt restored the castle following a close study of the remaining walls, archives and other fortified castles built at the same period. Occasionally lacking information, he had to improvise some parts of the stronghold. His aim was to rebuild it, as near as possible, as it was on the eve of the Thirty Years’ War.
The rebuilding was completed before the First World War. But after 1919, the castle became French property again. Nowadays it is a great tourist site.
We came to the castle on a Saturday and it was well visited by French and Germans alike. There is luckily a lot of parking around, with a special area for campers a long hike from the entrance.
We continued through the lovely Alsace and stopped next at Rosheim, where the Roman church caught our interest.
Rosheim was first mentioned in a document in 778 as Rodasheim. In 1262 it received its town charter, combined with the right to build a town wall. From the 14th to 17th centuries, Rosheim was an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire.
We will be heading to Belgium tomorrow – more soon!