Ranis, Medieval castle in Ranis, Germany

Ranis Castle stands on a Zechstein reef rock 405 m above sea level above the Orla valley. It consists of a small main castle around a courtyard in the west, a round 38 m bergfried, the south wing with two ornamental gabled dormers, and two large outer baileys; the south wing's late Saxon Renaissance gables date from the early 17th century.

A fortification stood on the hill from the 11th century; in 1084 Henry IV enfeoffed Wiprecht of Groitzsch with the castrum Ranis, the first documentary mention. Otto IV pledged it to the counts of Schwarzburg, and Frederick II enfeoffed them in 1220. The Wettins bought it in 1389; in 1463 William III gave it to Heinrich von Brandenstein, whose indebted heirs sold it in 1571 to the lords of Breitenbauch, who held it until 1942.

Since 1997 the castle has hosted the annual Thüringer Literatur- und Autorentage, organised by the Jena association LeseZeichen e.V.; guests have included Katharina Thalbach, Iris Berben and Saša Stanišić. The museum, founded in 1926 by Dietrich von Breitenbuch and reopened by the town in 1956, covers the castle, the Ilsenhöhle cave beneath it, and the region's geology and prehistory.

The castle stands at 405 m above sea level on a Zechstein reef above the Orla valley, and the preserved outer bailey building holds an arched tunnel leading down into Ranis old town. The complex is entered through the main gate on the eastern outer bailey, which was protected by a barbican, moat and drawbridge. Access is limited for wheelchair users.

In July 2010 the castle grounds were used for filming "Löwenzahn – Das Kinoabenteuer". Below the outer bailey, inside the Zechstein reef rock, lies the small Ilsenhöhle cave, which the castle museum also covers alongside the region's geology and prehistory.