Castle Fleckenstein is located in the northernmost part of Alsace (France), where it towers 340 metres above the surrounding fields and forests. Built in the early 12th century, almost certainly by the imperial Hohenstaufen dynasty, it was lived in from 1129 by the Fleckensteins, who later became one of the region's most powerful ruling families. Long reputed impregnable, this imposing fortress was finally destroyed by Louis XIV's troops in 1689. Its awe-inspiring ruins have withstood the ravages of time, and still have power to fascinate the 60 000 visitors who visit the site every year.

The château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is located at Orschwiller, Alsace, France, in the Vosges mountains just west of Sélestat. The castle is nestled at a strategic location on a high hill overlooking the Alsatian plain; as a result it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. In 1900 it was restored under the direction of Emperor Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist attraction, located on the Alsace wine route.