The remains of Waldeck Castle take us back to a time when the Electorate of Mainz had begun its development of the region in the 11th and 12th centuries. In that era, the first half of the 12th century, the archbishops of Mainz were eager to secure the Rheingau with the "Rheingauer Gebück": This border fortification consisted of trimmed thickets of shrubs and pruned trees that were tightly interwoven. Up to 100 metres wide, the bulwark of natural materials sprawled. Due to its increasing impermeability, troops and transports could overcome it solely through deliberately created - and guarded - aisles. It is conceivable that Waldeck Castle served to secure a section of the "Rheingauer Gebück" running north of it. The ruins are privately owned and can only be visited from the outside at your own risk.