Château de l'Ortenbourg, Medieval castle in Scherwiller, France
Château de l'Ortenbourg is a stone fortress perched on a hillside, featuring a pentagonal keep with Gothic windows that overlook the Alsace wine region below. The structure displays typical medieval fortification techniques with multiple arrow slits integrated into its thick walls.
Rudolf of Habsburg constructed the fortress between 1262 and 1265 to establish control over the region and secure important trade routes. Following its founding, the structure evolved into a key stronghold in medieval territorial politics.
The fortress served as a seat of power where local rulers governed the surrounding lands and collected taxes from villages below. Today, visitors walking through its spaces can sense the authority that once emanated from these stone walls.
The fortress is free to visit and accessible year-round, though reaching it requires a roughly 30-minute walk uphill from the parking area on Route des Romains. Sturdy footwear and water are recommended, as the trail passes through wooded terrain and is exposed to the elements.
The fortress features a wide moat that separated it from the surrounding terrain, enhancing its defensive position, along with storage rooms and wells that allowed occupants to endure lengthy sieges. These self-sufficient facilities reveal how medieval fortresses could survive independently from outside support.
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