The origin of the name Haut-Kœnigsbourg comes from the German word Hohkönigsburg or “high castle of the king.” An imposing example of medieval architecture, it was involved in numerous conflicts from its construction to its destruction by the Swedish armies in 1633. The castle was thoroughly rebuilt from 1900 to 1908 by order of German Emperor Wilhelm II. The Kaiser both wanted to assert his supremacy and to exhibit the Haut-Kœnigsbourg as a symbol of the glory of the Hohenzollern dynasty.