Ortenberg Castle

Ortenberg Castle is the main landmark of the Ortenau and is situated above the town of Ortenberg at the end of the Kinzig Valley between Offenburg and Gengenbach.

The origins of the Ortenau Castle can be traced back to the 11th/12th century. The castle was built by the House of Zähringen to protect the Kinzig Valley. Today, there is a youth hostel in the castle.

Following the construction by the House of Zähringen in the 11th/12th century, the castle served as the administrative center for the Landvögte (bailiffs) of the district of Ortenau during the reign of the Hohenstaufen. The administrative seat for Landvogtei Ortenau (bailiwick of Ortenau) served as the center of imperial taxation, a court and customs authority. The first extensions to the castle, fortified towers (roundels) that contained cannons, were built in the 15th century. The castle was destroyed in 1678 during the Franco-Dutch war by Francois de Crequy, marshal of France under the orders of Louis XIV of France. Following the re-construction, the castle was destroyed once more in 1697. The administrative center of the Landvögte was moved to Offenburg by Franz de Neveu due to this incident. The castle as it stands today, was constructed between 1838 and 1843. Baron Gabriel Leonhard von Berckholtz (1781–1863) from Livland had Friedrich Eisenlohr, a German architect, re-construct the castle in Gothic style. The medieval ruins provided the basis for construction. Georg Jakob Schneider, a student of Eisenlohr, was designated construction site manager. The castle has been used as a youth hostel since 1942. Further repairs in order to maintain the fabric of the building were made in 1974–1981. From 1984 to 1985 the Malerturm was restored, followed by the Schimmelturm and the Jakobsturm, which were restored from 1986 to 1988.

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