Saint-Étienne church was erected first time in the 11th century and the current appearance dates mainly from the 16th century. With its vividly coloured stained-glass windows the church houses one of Ligier Richier's major works, The Entombment. The sculpture, which has recently been restored, is justifiably considered as one of the finest examples of 16th-century sculpture in Lorraine. The 13 figures are slightly larger than life and are carved out of fine-grained Meuse limestone. This is the sculptor's last known work in France.
References:The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.
The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.
The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.