The château and the plateau of the Geisberg acquired international significance at the end of 1793 as the scene of heavy fighting between the French Revolutionary Army and Austrian forces during the important Second Battle of Wissembourg. The Austrians, who were fighting as part of a Coalilition Army, lost the battle which enabled the revolutionaries to consolidate their hold over Alsace, where people had hitherto been divided in their response to the French Revolution.