Located on the border with Germany and Switzerland, the historic region of Alsace experienced a tumultuous past. Its cultural identity is twofold, both French and Germanic. Its geography also presents a double diversity. Between the Vosges and the Black Forest lies the vast Alsace plain, and in the extreme north-west stand the numerous hills of Hunchbacked Alsace. More rural, it consists of orchards and a superposition of fir forests and vineyards similar to Germany. The fringe of its hills is visible from the ramparts of the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, at an altitude of 2,260 ft (757 m).