Ortenberg

Ortenberg is a municipality in the town of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg.GeographyOrtenberg is located in the foothills of the Black Forest, on the edge of the Kinzig valley and on the border of the Upper Rhine Plain. It is only a short distance, 5 kilometers, away from the town of Offenburg. The Badische Weinstraße (Baden wine route) runs through Ortenberg.Neighboring MunicipalitiesThe municipality of Ortenberg borders with the municipality of Offenburg's three sides. To the east, Ortenberg borders on Ohlsbach.HistoryFirst mentioned in a document in 1148, the town carried the name Dottenwiler/Tatenwilre at that time. It was not until the mid 14th century that the name of the castle, which had been referred to as castrum Ortinberg as early as 1233, was given to the town. The castle was destroyed in 1678. However, it was rebuilt by Leonhard von Berckholtz in the 19th century.Between 1573 and 1630, a witch-hunt took place in Ortenberg and 19 women were executed for witchcraft.For a long time, Ortenberg was part of the district of Offenburg. However, since 1973, the year when the district was split up, the town has belonged to the district of Ortenau.GovernmentMayors 1969–2008: Hermann Litterst since 2008: Markus VollmerSister CitiesOrtenberg has two sister cities: Stotzheim, Elsass, France, since 1965 Ortenberg (Hessen), Hessen, Germany, since 1976