Its location on the border with Germany and Switzerland had the historic region of Alsace develop a dual culture and identity, both French and German. This blending inspired, among other things, the colored half-timbered houses considered typical of the cities in the area. In the hills of hunchbacked Alsace, the habitations are more rural and their architecture soberer. The houses are built in solid stones from the Vosges, in a linear pattern without floors and corbels. This part of Alsace is a land of vineyards, but also orchards.