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Ortenbourg Castle

Castles

Ortenbourg Castle

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Ortenbourg Castle

Recommended by 388 hikers out of 390

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Location: Scherweiler, Schlettstadt-Erstein, Alsace, France

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Best Hikes to Ortenbourg Castle

4.5

(110)

505

hikers

1. The castles of l'Ortenbourg and Bernstein and the rock of Falkenstein — loop from Scherwiller

13.3km

04:10

520m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.9

(102)

358

hikers

2. Bernstein Castle – Ortenbourg Castle loop from Dambach-la-Ville

13.5km

04:05

420m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.9

(88)

344

hikers

3. Château d’Ortenbourg – Château du Bernstein loop from Dieffenthal

11.7km

03:36

390m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Moderate

Tips

Kristian

August 21, 2025

At the end of the ridge, at an altitude of 443 meters, lies Ortenbourg Castle, built between 1260 and 1265 by Rudolf Habsburg and one of the most beautiful ruins in the Rhine Valley. A masterpiece of military architecture, with its high gorge surrounding a 32-meter-long dungeon, it is visible from afar and blends perfectly into the landscape. This dungeon offered six levels of defensive fire, and its pentagonal design allowed for better deflection of attackers' projectiles. The recently founded association "Les sentinelles de l'Ortenbourg" (Ortenbourg Sentinels) aims to preserve, expand, and revitalize the castle.

Translated by Google •

July 10, 2018

The castle Ortenberg (French Château de l'Ortenbourg) is a medieval castle ruin near Scherwiller in Alsace ...

Ortenberg is considered the highlight and ideal type of early Gothic castle construction in Alsace. The Kernburg rises on a granite rock, which is separated by a deep neck trench from the massif of the Knights Mountain. Directly above the ditch are the 18-meter-high, multi-kinked and pierced by loopholes mantle wall and the immediately behind it placed 30-meter-high, pentagonal keep the potential attacker against ...

Source: Wikipedia

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Lilo

July 26, 2020

Not only the castle ruins are very impressive, the view over the Rhine valley, Kaiserstuhl and the Black Forest is also terrific!

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Details

Informations

Elevation 410 m

Weather

Tuesday 9 December

13°C

5°C

40 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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Location: Scherweiler, Schlettstadt-Erstein, Alsace, France

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Ortenbourg Castle

1. The castles of l'Ortenbourg and Bernstein and the rock of Falkenstein — loop from Scherwiller

2. Bernstein Castle – Ortenbourg Castle loop from Dambach-la-Ville

3. Château d’Ortenbourg – Château du Bernstein loop from Dieffenthal

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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