Ortenburg Castle

Ortenburg, Germany

The first hill fort overlooking the valley of Wolfach was built by Count Rapoto I von Ortenburg around 1120. Due to the power of Ortenburg house there were many conflicts with neihgbor states in the late 12th century and early 13th century. The castle was destroyed in one of these wars in 1192 and subsequently rebuilt. The medieval castle was sacked and almost completely destroyed in Landshut War of Succession in 1504.

The current Ortenburg castle was built in its current form as a renaissance castle in 1562. The interior furnishing of the halls had been first completed in 1800. Therefore, the castle holds interior decoration and art dating back over the course of two centuries. The precious coffered ceiling of the castle chapel is particularly worth noting. The ceiling, which had been made with five different types of wood, is among the most significant renaissance wood ceilings in Germany. Further art treasures included the knights’ hall and the renaissance inner courtyard. Today, the castle is home to the Ortenburg Castle Museum.

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Address

Vorderschloß 1, Ortenburg, Germany
See all sites in Ortenburg

Details

Founded: 1562
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)

More Information

www.schloss-ortenburg.de
www.passauer-land.de

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


St. Stephen's Cathedral (17,5 km)
Veste Oberhaus (17,9 km)
Veste Niederhaus (18,2 km)
Burghausen Castle (52,9 km)
Mariahilf Monastery (17,7 km)
Neuburg Castle (16,9 km)
Aldersbach Abbey (11,4 km)
Metten Abbey (40,9 km)
Niederaltaich Abbey (28,2 km)

User Reviews

roswitha hechfellner (14 months ago)
Es war sehr schön da
Heinz Fink (2 years ago)
Sehenswert. Die Führung mit Stadtfuchs Matthias Koopmann war allererste Sahne: überaus kurzweilig und informativ. So macht Geschichte Spaß.
Sergey Feronov (2 years ago)
Великолепный замок,хороший ресторан.
Alfred Menzell (2 years ago)
Leider Privatbesitz nur eingeschränkt in Gruppen zu besichtigen. Gute Einkehrmöglichkeiten. Wildpark nur was für Kinder und teuer. Waldlehrpfad auf der anderen Seite dagegen absolut genial und gratis.
Jürgen Mährlein (2 years ago)
Leider bleibt das Schloss 2018 für den individuellen Gast geschlossen. Besucherzahlen haben die Möglichkeit zum Besuch nach vorheriger Terminabsprache über die Tourist Information Ortenburg
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From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, becoming a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings, to its final development as a large fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe, Klis Fortress has guarded the frontier, being lost and re-conquered several times. Due to its location on a pass that separates the mountains Mosor and Kozjak, the fortress served as a major source of defense in Dalmatia, especially against the Ottoman advance, and has been a key crossroad between the Mediterranean belt and the Balkan rear.

Since Duke Mislav of the Duchy of Croatia made Klis Fortress the seat of his throne in the middle of the 9th century, the fortress served as the seat of many Croatia"s rulers. The reign of his successor, Duke Trpimir I, the founder of the Croatian royal House of Trpimirović, is significant for spreading Christianity in the Duchy of Croatia. He largely expanded the Klis Fortress, and in Rižinice, in the valley under the fortress, he built a church and the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia. During the reign of the first Croatian king, Tomislav, Klis and Biograd na Moru were his chief residences.

In March 1242 at Klis Fortress, Tatars who were a constituent segment of the Mongol army under the leadership of Kadan suffered a major defeat while in pursuit of the Hungarian army led by King Béla IV. After their defeat by Croatian forces, the Mongols retreated, and Béla IV rewarded many Croatian towns and nobles with 'substantial riches'. During the Late Middle Ages, the fortress was governed by Croatian nobility, amongst whom Paul I Šubić of Bribir was the most significant. During his reign, the House of Šubić controlled most of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia. Excluding the brief possession by the forces of Bosnian King, Tvrtko I, the fortress remained in Hungaro-Croatian hands for the next several hundred years, until the 16th century.

Klis Fortress is probably best known for its defense against the Ottoman invasion of Europe in the early 16th century. Croatian captain Petar Kružić led the defense of the fortress against a Turkish invasion and siege that lasted for more than two and a half decades. During this defense, as Kružić and his soldiers fought without allies against the Turks, the military faction of Uskoks was formed, which later became famous as an elite Croatian militant sect. Ultimately, the defenders were defeated and the fortress was occupied by the Ottomans in 1537. After more than a century under Ottoman rule, in 1669, Klis Fortress was besieged and seized by the Republic of Venice, thus moving the border between Christian and Muslim Europe further east and helping to contribute to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Venetians restored and enlarged the fortress, but it was taken by the Austrians after Napoleon extinguished the republic itself in 1797. Today, Klis Fortress contains a museum where visitors to this historic military structure can see an array of arms, armor, and traditional uniforms.

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