Bacharach's very name points out the town's celtic roots. The town's original name "Baccaracus" means roughly the "Celtic manor of Baccarus"

We believe that there has been a settlement in this location constantly since the Franconian Merovingian period. The first written record dates back to 923, however this is somewhat disputed, with another more certain record dating back to 1019. Stahleck Castle, which was built in the 11th Century, was initially the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne's reeves. In the 12th Century, it was the residence of the Count Palatine and the center of the Rhine Palatinate. Agnes von Hohenstaufen and Heinrich the Welfen were married here in 1194. The Welfens only succeeded the Hohenstaufens in ruling the Palatinate until 1214, when the Palatinate, which later developed to become the Electorate Palatinate, was transferred to the house of Wittelsbach. Bacharach belonged to the house of Wittelsbach for almost 600 years until the French revolution.

Bacharach enjoyed an economic boom in the middle ages from the start of the 13th century. The town's favorable location on the Rhine meant that Bacharach was the key trading, storage and transfer point for wine and wood. With the exception of the Bacharach toll, which was the main source of income for the state's lords, Bacharach rose to fame around the world for its wine. The town's political importance grew hand in hand with its increasing trade. Bacharach was included in the "rheinischer Städtebund" (Association of Rhine cities) in 1254. Bacharach received its town charter in 1356. Its economic downfall came about with the Thirty Years' War. In the years that followed, the town lost its leading position as the largest wine warehousing location - this was also due to the excessively high tolls on the Rhine. The town strived for economic recovery, however this only started during the 19th century. After being freed by Blücher in 1813/14, Bachach became part of the Prussian empire and after the last war, together with other parts of the former Rhineland province, it became part of the state of Rhineland Palatinate during the reclassification of the federal states.

Since the opening of the so-called "Binger Loch", which was the greatest obstacle to shipping on the middle Rhine, the subsequent regulation of the Rhine and the introduction of steamers, Bacharach became a much-loved destination for tour boats. The town allows its guests to experience real history and enjoy the pure romance of the Rhine. In the 19th century, Victor Hugo described Bacharach as being one of the "world's prettiest towns".

Source: www.bacharach.de