Between 1290 and 1305, the archbishopric of Mainz had the castle of Haneck or Hoheneck built to protect its territory. Heimburg, as it would later be named, was not to keep its status as a strategic stronghold for very long, however. By 1290, Bacharach to the north and Trechtingshausen to the south were under the control of the Count Palatine Ludwig the Strict. Heimburg Castle was meant to protect the locality and the road to the enclave of the Electorate of Mainz. When ownership of the castle of Reichenstein near Trechtingshausen was transfered to Mainz in 1344, however, Heimburg lost its strategic importance.

Until 1438, the castle was the seat of the Mainz district court. Falling into decay in the 16th century, it was destroyed in 1689. In the 19th century, it underwent conversion for residential use.

The castle complex, which is virtually square, is situated at the mouth of the Heimbachtal, a side valley of the Rhine. A bow-shaped curtain wall with a renovated platform, gallery, and merlons is all that remains of the medieval castle. A round keep is integrated into the wall on the south side, as is a smaller circular tower on the west. The current residential wing is attached to the curtain wall on the southeast side. Also of more recent origin are some additional machicolations and battlements, the gatehouse and a gardener’s house outside the inner castle.

Heimburg castle is privately owned and not open to visitors.