ブライタナウの洞窟・トップ16

Burgruine Oedenbourg

During the week and outside of the holidays, the crowds are bearable

One of the most beautiful rooms in the castle. Weapons and armor can be admired here.

Actually, everything that needs to be said about the castle has already been said. I would like to mention the entrance fees as a positive point. Adults €12, with a guided tour €14 All parking is free, whether in the forest parking lot or on the access road. When I think of Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, though...🙆

The ruins are located about 400 meters from Haut-Koenigsburg Castle on the same ridge, at an altitude of approximately 721–722 meters above sea level. They can be reached in about 5 minutes on foot via a signposted hiking trail. The structure likely dates back to the 12th century, possibly originating as a simple tower castle, mentioned as part of a castle complex in 1174. Around 1267, it was expanded by the Lords of Rathsamhausen during the Interregnum. Around 1300, a Gothic residential wing was added – protected by a curtain wall and featuring a massive main tower on the opposite side. As early as 1417, it is referred to in sources as an "abandoned castle" (desolate castle).

Ramstein Castle was built in 1293 by Otto von Ochsenstein to support the siege of the neighboring Ortenberg Castle. After being owned by the Zorn von Bulach family, it was destroyed by the Strasbourg family in the 15th century. Initially consisting of a simple tower, the castle was later expanded into a proper castle, which was destroyed by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. Today, only the outer wall and two gun towers remain, built in 1793 to defend the entrance to the Vosges Mountains.

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.

The Oedenburg (or Little Hohkönigsburg) belonged to the Lords of Rathsamhausen. Robber barons once resided in the castle, and by 1417, the Oedenburg was completely destroyed and lay in ruins.