Hoheneck Castle is a medieval castle above Ipsheim. The castle is situated on the slopes of the Franconian Heights, a small, forested, hill range (Frankenhöhe Nature Park), high above the valley of the Aisch. To the east of the castle are the extensive forests of the Franconian Heights, part of the Hoheneck Forest. At its base is one of the few wine areas in Middle Franconia.
Hoheneck was first mentioned in 1132. In 1381, Arnold von Seckendorff sold Hoheneck with its property and forest to the Nuremberg Burggraf Friedrich V. A few years later, he established the Oberamt Hoheneck. In 1462, the castle was burned down during the war between Margrave Albrecht of Brandenburg and the Hochstift Würzburg.
The City of Nuremberg acquired the castle in 1953 and it is the only castle owned by the city, as the Nuremberg Castle is owned by the Free State of Bavaria. Since April 1984 the Youth Castle serves as a youth education centre for the Youth Council of Kreis Nuremberg.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.