The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Schlettstadt-Erstein

A place with a very special atmosphere.

beautiful path below the impressive rocks

In his meditation on the Stations of the Cross with the Holy Father – on Good Friday 2025 in the Roman Colosseum – Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday of this year, invited us to let Jesus on the cross look at us. A few short sentences from this meditation seem to me to fit well with the small sacred memorial located here: + “We go our usual ways and you come towards us. Your eyes look into our hearts. (…) Jesus is your name, and truly, ‘God saves’ through you. The God of Abraham who calls, the God of Isaac who cares, the God of Jacob who blesses, the God of Israel who delivers: in your gaze, Lord, … lies a whole revelation. In your footsteps leading out of the city, we see our departure into a new land. You came to change the world: for us, this means changing direction, seeing the good you have left behind, and allowing the memory of your gaze to continue to work in our hearts.” (Pope Francis)

Former chapel with seating, which can also be used as a shelter.

Ramstein Castle was built in 1293 by Otto von Ochsenstein to support the siege of the neighboring Ortenberg Castle. After being owned by the Zorn von Bulach family, it was destroyed by the Strasbourg family in the 15th century. Initially consisting of a simple tower, the castle was later expanded into a proper castle, which was destroyed by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. Today, only the outer wall and two gun towers remain, built in 1793 to defend the entrance to the Vosges Mountains.

At the end of the ridge, at an altitude of 443 meters, lies Ortenbourg Castle, built between 1260 and 1265 by Rudolf Habsburg and one of the most beautiful ruins in the Rhine Valley. A masterpiece of military architecture, with its high gorge surrounding a 32-meter-long dungeon, it is visible from afar and blends perfectly into the landscape. This dungeon offered six levels of defensive fire, and its pentagonal design allowed for better deflection of attackers' projectiles. The recently founded association "Les sentinelles de l'Ortenbourg" (Ortenbourg Sentinels) aims to preserve, expand, and revitalize the castle.

The castle was built between 1197 and 1200 by Konrad von Landsberg to fortify the abbeys of Hohenburg, Niedermünster, and Andlau, and to serve as a refuge for Niedernaier Castle in times of danger. By the 15th century, the castle was said to have been in poor condition, and in 1632, it was completely destroyed by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. During the French Revolution, the castle, like its neighbor, Hohenburg-Andlau Castle, was sold as national property. Today, the castle, which is owned by the von Türckheim family, is undergoing extensive restoration work and excavations.

Built in 1247 to control the valley and the neighboring abbey, the castle features a large, 24-meter-high square tower and a courtyard. Fragments of polychrome frescoes can be seen on one of the ruins' arches—with the carved chimney gables, they display a rare level of sophistication in the 14th century. Over the past 20 years, it has been restored, making it more accessible.