History of the Château de Pourtalès

The Château de Pourtalès was built in 1750 on the foundations of the country house belonging to the Bussière family, a prosperous family of industrialists from Strasbourg.

Between 1870 and 1914, Countess Mélanie and Count Edmond de Pourtalès welcomed the “who's who” of European nobility, as well as renowned diplomats, philosophers, and artists, to their château. Among their famous guests were Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt, Napoleon III, Empress Eugénie, Louis I of Bavaria, and Prince Metternich.

The two world wars caused significant damage to the castle and its outbuildings. When Dr. Walter Leibrecht, founder of Schiller International University, acquired the castle in 1972, he undertook an extensive restoration to bring this historic building back to life.

In 2007, Harald and Ulrike Leibrecht took over the castle and continued its renovation and expansion. In 2009, the travel agency Destination joined the project, transforming the main building and outbuildings (“Le Chalet”) into a hotel.

In November 2019, the new building “Le Parc” was inaugurated, completing the hotel's offering with a total of 48 rooms and a contemporary 240 m² event room.