Haut-Koenigsbourg offers a vision of what a mountain fortress was in the 15 century in Alsace. The beginnings of the Renaissance brought economic recovery and population growth. Improving agriculture and expanding trade raised living standards. Alsace was also a land of humanists. Sélestat became an intellectual capital, with a renowned Latin school, center of Alsatian Humanism. The printing press, of which Alsace became a pioneer, helped expand knowledge by making culture accessible.