Château de l'Ortenbourg, Scherwiller, France

Located at an altitude of 443 metres at the end of the ridge, Château de l'Ortenbourg was built between 1260 and 1265 by Rudolf Habsburg to the site of older castle. It is one of the most beautiful ruins in the Rhine Valley.

In 1291, on the death of Rudolf, Otto IV opposed the election of Albert of Habsburg and supported Adolphe de Nassau. In 1293, Otton joined the siege and had the Ramstein built to take Ortenbourg; and after three weeks of sieges, the Austrians surrendered and the Val de Villé was invaded by Otto.

From the 16th century the castle started to dilapidate as a result of a lack of maintenance, although it is inhabited until the beginning of the 17th century. In 1633 the Swedes set fire to the castle.

Today Ortenbourg is a masterpiece of military architecture with its high shirt surrounding a 32-meter dungeon, is visible from a distance and fits remarkably in the landscape. This dungeon offered 6 levels of defensive fire and its pentagonal design allowed for better deflection of the attackers' projectiles.

User Reviews

Ulrika Ihala (14 months ago)
Quite a challenging hike but stunning scenery!

V. Denisse Keller (15 months ago)
Cool to do with the family, when you search sport to do, its a good idea ??

Martin Sklenář (4 years ago)
Closed... 2 km walking distance and close ???

Erik Mulder (5 years ago)
This Chateau is a ruin but one that has quite some structure left. It's nice to walk through it and imagine how it would have been to live here so many years ago. Not a lot of information or special features to see but the views are great. Tip: take the beautiful walkway through the forest and reward your climb with a visit to Chateau l'Ortenbourg.

Gabriel (6 years ago)
I love this place. The ruins are a sight to see and climb around. I'd gladly take the small walk up the mountain again to go here. It's not a hard climb, and great on a summer day. Highly recommend you visit this place. Simply beautiful!

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Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.

The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.

Château de l'Ortenbourg

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