The young Berlin-based architect Bodo Ebhardt
was appointed by Wilhelm II to supervise the
project. Both an architect and a specialist in fortresses, he
worked according to a strict set of
principles.
Firstly, he kept and analyzed the remaining ruins and wall
façades. Then he looked up and analyzed many old documents and
records. Finally, he examined other European castles and drew
comparisons between them and Haut-Koenigsbourg.
All this research enabled him to identify the different parts of
the château, to create interior designs of a type that could have
featured in the original building and to rebuild the ruin in a way
that was historically as accurate as possible.
The parts of the wall that were still standing were checked, stone
by stone and the weaker sections were replaced with
identically-sized and shaped stones. A coating gave a uniform look
to the finished walls. In order to show which parts had been newly
restored, B. Ebhardt created a new set of 'mason's marks' - each
replacement stone had a special mark carved into
it. Different years were given different marks, there being a total
of eight different marks used between 1901 and 1908. Even today
these marks can be easily identified and can be seen throughout the
castle.