Wine-growing Foothills Menu Heritage and Tours Sceneries and Men History of Men Geology and Climate Landscapes Hautes-Vosges The “Plateau des Mille Etangs” Fougerolles and Val d’Ajol Valleys Ballons of Franche-Comté Vosgian Valleys Haut-Rhin Valleys Wine-growing Foothills Natural Heritage Orchards Forests High Stubble Lakes, Ponds, Peatlands Ravines, Cliffs and Scree Slopes Calcareous Grasslands Local Products and Craftsmanship The Park Certification Label Drink Producers The Granite Industry The Wood Industry Meat Producers Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Mineral and Natural Spring Waters Fruit and Vegetables Products Fougerolles Orchards and Kirsch Fish Farming Vosgian Cattle Breed Cheeses Small Fruit, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Alsatian Wine Smoked Meats and Andouilles Farmhouse-Inns Farm Shops Craftsmanship Textile Granite Lava Sandstone Wood industry Farm Markets Cultural Heritage Thermal Heritage Industrial Heritage Farms Country of Art and History Religious Heritage Intangible Cutural Heritage Heritage and Memory Castles Thematic Roads and Tracks Tourist Routes Treetop Adventure Park Barefoot Trails Environment Awareness Structures Parks and Botanical Gardens Museums and Heritage Sites Thermal Baths Venues for Shows, Exhibitions and Festivals At the Park Doors Colmar Remiremont Belfort Lure Mulhouse Luxeuil-les-Bains Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Nature activities Sylvotherapy Nordic Walking Guided Walks and Discovery trails Landscape walks along the Crest Road A Farm, A Hike Mountain Guides Pedestrian Hikes Club Vosgien / Club Alpin (Vosgian / Alpine Clubs) Reception Centres for Educational Stays Trail Running Mountain Biking and Cyclo-Tourism Equine Activities Climbing Hang Gliding Aeromodelism Fishing Water Sports Winter Activities Nature stays Camping in Nature ‘Valeurs Parc’ certified Furnished Accommodation and Guesthouses Hotels and restaurants Alongside the Rhine Plain, the mountain’s eastern foothills favour the vineyard – and led to beautiful architectural developments along the famous “Route du Vin” (Wine Road). Wine growing was introduced in the Alsace region by the Romans, and developed by monks as early as the ninth century. From the thirteenth century onwards, wine-growing villages were fortified, and protected by mighty noble families. Sheltered within the Hautes-Vosges, Alsatian foothills benefit from a particularly warm and dry microclimate. Here, on calcareous ground, moors and lawns resemble Mediterranean garrigues or Eastern steppes. These arid lawns were created by Man, who cleared budding oaks to enhance sub-Vosgian hills as early as the seventh century; this original environment lost its pastoral calling and is now facing the expansion of Alsatian vine. Nowadays, a conservation management maintains and restores the living environments of many species, such as green lizards, Cirl Buntings, and a wide variety of orchids and Prairie Smoke. Author advisa View all posts