Ortenburg Castle Ruins, Baldramsdorf, Austria

Ortenburg castle was erected in the late 11th century by ministeriales of the Bavarian Prince-Bishops of Freising, who then held large possessions in the Duchy of Carinthia. Their descendants began to call themselves Counts of Ortenburg. The castle is located on the northern slope of the Gailtal Alps overlooking the Drava valley.

Damaged by the 1348 Friuli earthquake, the significance of the castle diminuished after the extinction of the Ortenburgs in 1418. The estates were inherited by Count Hermann II of Celje and in 1456 finally seized by the Imperial House of Habsburg. In 1524 the comital title passed to Gabriel von Salamanca, who had his new residence, Porcia castle built in the nearby town of Spittal an der Drau.

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User Reviews

Irene Reichl (4 years ago)
Beautiful ruin, a wonderful place to find peace and relaxation. No admission, no streams of tourists, pure nature and a wonderful view on top of that.

Alfred Penker (5 years ago)
Interesting

Gerald Schrammel (5 years ago)
Super ruin. Beautiful view. Interesting place

Paweł Krala (5 years ago)
Very picturesque ruins of a medieval castle. Going down from Goldek, I could rest here on a bench and admire the view of the open panorama of the Alps towards Millstatt see. Very nice and neat ruins. Wooden footbridges allow an easy approach. Worth to see!

Guenther Gasser (6 years ago)
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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Ortenburg Castle Ruins

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