Ortenberg: Panorama Trail, Castle and Bühlweg Church

Ortenberg combines the Panorama Trail’s wine-growing themes with historic buildings. Three perspectives are especially useful for planning your trip: the route and its stops, the seasonal access to Ortenberg Castle, and the architectural history of the Bühlweg Church of Maria Ruh. This can help you decide whether wine-growing, castle history or religious architecture should shape your stay.

Panorama Trail: Wine-growing and route features

The Ortenberg Panorama Trail runs from the Griesacker memorial stone near the border with Fessenbach to Ortenberg Castle and can be walked in either direction. Its wine-growing stops offer different features: information boards provide details about wine-growing, a demonstration plot showcases different vine-training methods, and the Schloss Ortenberg winery’s varietal garden includes more than 30 grape varieties with descriptions. Felix Burda Park is incorporated into the Panorama Trail, and the well-developed network of Ortenberg’s forest paths connects to it. The endpoints help orient you along the route, while the information boards, demonstration plot and varietal garden explore the topic of wine-growing in different ways.

Ortenberg Castle and the Gluggelistein

Gabriel Leonhard von Berckholtz had Ortenberg Castle built in its present form between 1838 and 1843. During the summer months, the Upper Castle Courtyard and the tower complex at Ortenberg Castle are open to everyone. Check the current rules before visiting. Castle tours can be booked through the youth hostel for groups of 20 or more. Seasonal access to the areas mentioned and a guided group visit are different ways to visit; check current booking arrangements directly with the youth hostel.

The Gluggelistein, also known as the Bibelistein, can be clearly seen from the ridge path behind Ortenberg Castle. The menhir dates from the Late Neolithic. This brings two distinct historical periods together: the castle’s present form, dating from the 19th century, and a menhir from the Late Neolithic.

Bühlweg Church and its architectural history

The Bühlweg Church of Maria Ruh is a pilgrimage church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The present-day Bühlweg Chapel was built in 1497 in the Late Gothic style and enhanced with Baroque elements in the 18th century. Rediscovered late medieval frescoes can be found inside. The building’s history can be placed in chronological order: the Late Gothic construction was followed by Baroque additions, while the frescoes also offer a glimpse of late medieval mural painting.

The Catholic parish offers tours of the Bühlweg Chapel. Ask the parish about current tour arrangements. This means you can plan for both the seasonal access arrangements at the castle and a separate point of contact for tours of the chapel.

The Ortenaukreis as a wider travel area

The wider travel destination of Ortenaukreis encompasses a landscape between the Rhine and the Black Forest. The district has 23 nature reserves covering a total area of around 3,110 hectares. They stretch from the Rhine plain to the higher elevations of the Black Forest.

Discover more destinations: Seebach, Durbach, Nordrach, Rust, Kappel-Grafenhausen, Ottenhöfen Im Schwarzwald, Kippenheim, Oberkirch

Back to the wider travel overview: Ortenaukreis.