Whoever visits Rüdesheim can easily recognise why the front castle also got the name Marktburg (Market Castle). Directly on the market square, lies the erstwhile noble seat of a side line of the powerful lords of Rüdesheim. Today, only the bergfried of the mediaeval citadel, which was constructed before 1276, has been preserved. Its building history is practically unexplained. What is known, however, is that the castle complex, together with other fortified edifices in the town area – such as Brömserburg Castle or Boosenburg Castle – once served as home to the noble lords of Rüdesheim. The favourable location at the gate to the Middle Rhine allowed the town to blossom into an important trading centre in its day, in which the nobility were able to eke out a very adequate existence. The rapids of the “Binger Loch” saw to it that the major share of trade in goods took place at that spot on the land route and therefore went through their hands.