Ortenberg (Baden)

Ortenberg
Coat of arms
Ortenberg
Location of Ortenberg within Ortenaukreis district
Coordinates: 48°27′05″N 07°58′17″E / 48.45139°N 7.97139°E / 48.45139; 7.97139Coordinates: 48°27′05″N 07°58′17″E / 48.45139°N 7.97139°E / 48.45139; 7.97139
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Freiburg
District	Ortenaukreis
Government
• Mayor	Markus Vollmer
Area
• Total	5.66 km2 (2.19 sq mi)
Elevation	163 m (535 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	3,453
• Density	610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	77799
Dialling codes	0781
Vehicle registration	OG
Website	www.ortenberg.de

Ortenberg is a municipality in the town of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg.

Ortenberg is located in the foothills of the Black Forest, on the edge of the Kinzig valley and on the border of the Upper Rhine Plain. It is only a short distance, 5 kilometers, away from the town of Offenburg. The Badische Weinstraße (Baden wine route) runs through Ortenberg.

The municipality of Ortenberg borders with the municipality of Offenburg's three sides. To the east, Ortenberg borders on Ohlsbach.

First mentioned in a document in 1148, the town carried the name Dottenwiler/Tatenwilre at that time. It was not until the mid 14th century that the name of the castle, which had been referred to as castrum Ortinberg as early as 1233, was given to the town. The castle was destroyed in 1678. However, it was rebuilt by Leonhard von Berckholtz in the 19th century.

Between 1573 and 1630, a witch-hunt took place in Ortenberg and 19 women were executed for witchcraft.

For a long time, Ortenberg was part of the district of Offenburg. However, since 1973, the year when the district was split up, the town has belonged to the district of Ortenau.

Ortenberg has two sister cities:

Ortenberg Castle serves as a youth hostel. The towers, however, are open for visitors. The castle-like construction, as it stands today, was planned by the German architect Friedrich Eisenlohr and built between 1838 and 1843 by Gabriel Leonhard von Beckholtz, a livonian merchant. The ruins of the former castle, which had been destroyed in 1678, provided the basis for re-construction. Contrary to popular opinion, only the municipality Ortenberg but not the district Ortenau was named after this castle. This term was derived from the former term Mortenau (Latin Moridunum = marshland). The initial consonant was lost in the 16th century due to colloquialism.

Bühlerweg chapel was constructed in 1497 and has been used ecumenically since 1972.