History of the Château de Pourtalès

The Château de Pourtalès was built in 1750 on the grounds of a country house by the family Bussière, a wealthy industrial family from Strasbourg.

Between 1870 and 1914, countess Mélanie and the Count de Pourtalès welcomed European aristocracy, as well as some of Europe’s most famous diplomats, philosophers and musicians in the castle.

For example, Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt, Napoleon III, Empress Eugenie or Ludwig I of Bavaria have all visited the château. The two World Wars damaged the castle significantly.

The Château was almost completely destroyed when Dr. Walter Leibrecht, founder of the Schiller International University, bought the building in 1972 and began to rebuild it. Students from the Schiller International University stayed here for more than 25 years and students from other international universities are continued to be hosted here.

Harald and Ulrike Leibrecht took over the Château in 2007. They have continued to restore and develop it. In 2009, the main building and its annex (“Le Chalet”) were converted into a hotel.

In November 2019, the new building “Le Parc” was completed. It complements the existing hotel facilities with a total of 48 rooms and beautiful conference rooms.