In 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II decided to restore the greatness of the castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg. The reconstruction project cost 2,25 million marks, mostly financed by the Alsatians who had become Germans again. It took months to clear the massive pile of rubble piling up in the courtyard and at the base of the exterior walls. More than 200 workers and the transport of five tons of stones from the Selestat station were necessary to the work site.