It's exact date of origin is not known, but it has been proved that the castle was already occupied since the year 1095. It's first mentioned in documents in the year 1135 under Goswin von Hochstadt. In former times it was called castle Stabekkum or Sthaleckthum.Until 1148 almost 10 years of fight followed for the rights of the Stahleck. Through evil manipulation Hermann, brother-in-law of King Konrad III, finally won. The palatinate and the estates fell to him.In the yeasr 1156, after the death of Hermann of Stahleck, his stepbrother Konrad von Hohenstaufen became count palatine of Bacharach on the Rhine river. The town of Bacharach, which is situated on the castle mountain, became center and residence of the originating palatine territory on the Rhine river.Castle Stahleck, which was originally the most farthest southern situated property of the Cologne bishops, was assigned from the emporer Barbarossa to his brother Konrad in the year 1190.