Burgruine Ortenburg, Castle ruin in Baldramsdorf, Carinthia, Austria

Burgruine Ortenburg sits on the northern slope of Mount Goldeck at 740 meters (2430 feet) elevation, overlooking the Drava valley in Carinthia. The fortress consisted of two courtyards connected by drawbridges and displays the layered building techniques typical of medieval defensive architecture.

Adalbert of Freising had the fortress built between 1070 and 1096, making it the power center for the Ortenburg family. The castle remained under family control until 1418, when their influence in the region began to fade.

The castle was the seat of the Ortenburg family, who founded nearby Spittal and held sway over the Drava valley for centuries. The ruins remain part of how locals understand their region's noble past.

The ruins stand at 740 m on the northern slope of Mt. Goldeck, above the Drava valley near Baldramsdorf. The site was secured and opened to the public in 1976 and is maintained by the Baldramsdorf association "Helfer der Ortenburg". Paths and old masonry are uneven, so watch your step.

The castle is a twin fortress: two courtyards, each reached by its own drawbridge, with a Gothic outer ward and a Romanesque keep. The third courtyard holds a Romanesque-Gothic chapel, a defensive tower and the palas. The site was already documented in 1136, when Adalbert's son Otto was calling himself Count of Ortenburg.