Gezicht op Château de Saint-Ulrich before 1894

Charles Bernhoeft captured the Château de Saint-Ulrich in this photograph. Here, the ruin looms, a symbol of the medieval era's defensive might. The tower, still reaching skyward, evokes images of power and isolation. Consider the tower's symbolism: In antiquity, towers were associated with the Tower of Babel, representing humankind's ambition and inevitable fall. We also see it in the myth of Danaë, imprisoned in a tower, a place of both protection and confinement. The ruins remind us of temporality. The impulse to build, to protect, and to leave a legacy is universal, yet time renders all things to dust. These stones become more than just architecture; they tap into our collective memory, stirring a deep-seated awareness of the ephemeral nature of existence. It's a cyclical reminder: rise, fall, and the echo that remains, waiting to be reinterpreted by future eyes.