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 Forests High Stubble Lakes, Ponds, Peatlands Ravines, Cliffs and Scree Slopes Calcareous Grasslands Orchards Local Products and Craftsmanship Marque Parc (Park Label) Wood Cladding Mineral and Natural Spring Waters Wooden Toys Honey and Fruit Juice Wooden Furniture for Children Products Fougerolles Orchards and Kirsch Fish Farming Vosgian Cattle Breed Cheeses Small Fruit, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Alsatian Wine Smoked Meats and Andouilles Craftsmanship Textile Granite Lava Sandstone Wood industry Farm Shops Farmhouse-Inns 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 Barefoot Trails Treetop Adventure Park Museums and Heritage Sites Thermal Baths Environment Awareness Structures Parks and Botanical Gardens Venues for Shows, Exhibitions and Festivals At the Park Doors Colmar Belfort Lure Mulhouse Luxeuil-les-Bains Remiremont Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Nature activities Guided Walks and Discovery trails A Farm, A Hike Mountain Guides Pedestrian Hikes Club Vosgien / Club Alpin (Vosgian / Alpine Clubs) Reception Centres for Educational Stays Winter Activities Mountain Biking and Cyclo-Tourism Fishing Trail Aeromodelism Water Sports Equine Activities Climbing Skydiving Nature vacations Camping in Nature Panda Lodgings and Guesthouses Hôtels au Naturel (Hotels in Natural Settings) 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.