Standing before this model, time seems to stand still. Haut-Kœnigsbourg appears as it was before the massive construction project of the early 20th century: a tangle of collapsed walls, gutted towers, and vanished roofs. A ghostly silhouette, ravaged by centuries, where it is difficult to recognize the proud fortress it would become.

Observing it, one suddenly grasps the magnitude of the challenge undertaken by the architects of Wilhelm II. The castle was nothing more than a romantic ruin, overgrown with vegetation, abandoned for generations. Restoring it was almost an act of visionary archaeology: it was necessary to understand the remains, imagine the lost volumes, and reconstruct, stone by stone, the medieval appearance of an iconic fortress.

This model, humble in its appearance, tells the story of the ravages of time better than any narrative… and the audacious gamble of those who decided to bring Haut-Kœnigsbourg back to life. Contemplating it, one realizes that the castle we visit today is as much a testament to the past as it is a patiently crafted work of renaissance.