Ortenburg: Castle Culture and Wildlife

Ortenburg combines castle culture with wildlife watching and a park that can be explored along well-maintained paths. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can therefore decide based on which experiences you would like to make the focus of your stay.

Jousting and Castle Culture

The Ortenburg Jousting Tournament takes place every year at the foot of Ortenburg Castle. The programme includes jousting tournaments, a historic market, traditional craft workshops, a camp and birds of prey demonstrations. The mix of performances and market activities gives the event its own distinctive character. If the jousting tournament is part of your travel plans, check the current dates in advance.

Ortenburg Castle Culture is an events series organised by the Friends of Ortenburg Castle. From April to December, the programme includes musical events, cabaret performances, spooky nights at Ortenburg Castle, talks and guided tours. The best way to find out which dates work for your stay is to check them when planning for the season.

Ortenburg Castle Museum also offers an insight into the town’s history: in 2025, it exhibited the original furnishings of the castle pharmacy, from the estate of Günther Heumann.

Wildlife Watching and Paths in the Wildlife Park

Ortenburg Castle Wildlife Park has well-maintained paths winding through an approximately 25-hectare park with numerous animal enclosures and aviaries. The approximate area conveys the size of the grounds, while the paths shape the route around the park. Entry is possible daily from 09:00 to 17:30; the park closes at 19:00. As opening hours may change, check with the operator before your visit.

Another place to watch animals is Irgenöd Animal Park in Ortenburg. It is home to more than 90 exotic and native animal species; this number may change over time. The two destinations offer different experiences: the wildlife park’s described circuit includes paths, enclosures and aviaries, while Irgenöd focuses on the variety of animal species.

Plan around the experiences that matter to you, and coordinate your plans with the event dates or the stated admission times.

Discover More in the Passau Destination

In the wider Passau destination, the Bavarian Forest Museum Village is located in Tittling. Visitors can explore more than 100 residential and agricultural buildings from the Bavarian Forest, dating from 1580 to 1890, across 20 hectares. The village includes farmhouses, mills, sawmills, smithies, chapels and field monuments; Germany’s oldest primary school, dating from 1666, is also part of the museum. A visit therefore offers a different focus from Ortenburg’s castle culture and animal parks.

Also in the Passau destination, the Haus am Strom Nature Experience Centre is located in the Bavarian-Austrian Danube valley below Untergriesbach. The Passau region is characterised by rivers, forests and thermal baths. Well-known thermal springs are located in Bad Füssing and Bad Griesbach. If you are interested in cycling, consider the Danube Cycle Path: it runs through the Passau region and received a four-star rating following an assessment by the German Cyclists’ Association. As ratings may change, check the current status if it is important to your plans.

Hiking trails in the Passau destination also offer a range of themes: the Granite Adventure Hiking Trail runs around Hauzenberg, while the Smugglers’ Trail is in the Danube Pearls. Together with castle events, museum visits and nature destinations, they offer a range of options to suit your interests. Ortenburg Castle Culture itself runs from April to December and brings together music, cabaret, spooky nights, talks and guided tours; check the dates according to the season.

Discover more destinations: Obernzell, Untergriesbach, Hauzenberg, Hutthurm, Sonnen, Ruhstorf and Neukirchen Vorm Wald.

Discover another destination: Aisterham.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Passau.