Above are some views of and from Haut Koenigsbourg Castle, the only restored castle in the Alsace region. The first historical reference to this castle dates back to 1147, it was "modernized" several times the most extensive renovation was in the 15th century. The Thirty Years war ravaged Europe and the countryside surrounding Haut Koenigsbourg and it was left in ruins until 1899 when it was restored under the direction of Kaiser Wilhelm in the early 20th century. Our tour guide - whom several students referred to as "Prince Valiant" told us that many criticized the castle as a means to criticize Wilhelm. The restoration, however, was undertaken with historical care and other than one room dedicated to the Glory of the Kaiser is very well done! It was a fun tour but the day was cold and cloudy, thus we ate our lunch outside quickly and upset our very grumpy French bus driver.
After the levity of the castle we proceed through the quaint countryside of eastern France to an area that was occupied by the Germans during WWII. Concentration Camp Struthof was nearly invisible from the road (not by chance) and after driving through an eerily foggy forest we came upon the serious part of our adventures for the day.
The words Silence and Respect were posted around the concentration camp. Those two words ruled the visit. Everyone in our group seemed to grasp the seriousness of the atrocities that were committed on these grounds. When another group emerged from one of the structures and did not respect the somberness that this place evoked, our group stared them down. They quieted and moved on...We proceeded to the bottom of the hill and one of our students read the informational packet we were provided in English.
We looked over the pit (above on the left with a memorial cross) where ashes and who knows what else was thrown.
We looked up the hill at the empty spaces where other buildings stood and housed the prisoners who were treated with unfathomable cruelty.
We went in the building that was used for medical experimentation, torture, hangings, executions, and we saw the oven that burned the remains in to ashes.
We walked up the hill past the barbed wire fences, past the guard towers, past the cemetery, toward the monument to the souls taken before their time.
It was a powerful place and the two museums on site that had educational displays and artifacts from this and other concentration camps were also exceptionally poignant. Silence and Respect.
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