During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), besieged by the Swedes in 1633, Haut-Koenigsbourg was burnt down and left in a state of ruins. In 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II decided to launch the reconstruction works. A modern project was set up under the direction of a young Berliner architect: Bodo Ebhardt. A photographic campaign helped to make a state of the ruins. The castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg became a typical fortified castle, with elements borrowed from fortresses from neighboring regions.