Situated on a Vosges ridge, the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle overlooks the wine route that winds through the Alsace plain from Kintzheim to Orschwiller, passing through Saint-Hippolyte, Riquewihr, Hunawihr and Zellenberg, less than 6 miles (10 km) away. Between the villages, agricultural plots are largely dedicated to vine, which has been cultivated in the region since the 9th century. The commune of Kintzheim even has an Alsace grand cru wine, the Praelatenberg, cultivated on 18.70 hectares of steep east-facing slopes. Known since 823, the Praelatenberg terroir belonged to the monks of the Benedictine abbey of Ebersmunster until the Revolution.