In the Middle Ages, the majority of fortified castles were granted by the king to his loyal lords. It is equipped with a more or less elaborate defensive system: the barbican, the towers, the surrounding walls, the moat, the drawbridge, the parapets... It can also shelter the lord's subjects, especially in times of war. In Alsace, all these architectural elements can be found at the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, not to mention the decorations added in the 20th century. In 1900, Wilhelm II entrusted the castle restoration to the architect Bodo Ebhardt. He added the emperor coat of arms since he wished to make it an imperial setting.