Schloss Ortenberg

Schloss Ortenberg stands north-east of the town of Ortenberg in the Wetteraukreis of Hesse. It began as a medieval castle built around 1180 by a branch of the Lords of Büdingen. The first written mention of the Lords of Ortenberg dates from the late 12th century. The castle passed through many hands in the 13th century, including the Reiz von Breuberg and the Lords of Hohenlohe-Brauneck. In 1587 Graf Ludwig Georg zu Stolberg began converting it into a Renaissance palace. The Stolberg family still owns the castle today, though only parts are open to the public. Visible remains of the medieval castle include the foundations of a round tower uncovered in 1953–55 and sections of supporting walls with rusticated stones. The main building is largely a classical 19th-century structure, but its outer walls contain older masonry. The gatehouse in the outer ward, built in 1622, shows half-timbering above a stone core from the 15th or 16th century.