King Ludwig IV the Bavarian built Pfalzgrafenstein Castle on Falkenau island in the Rhine near Kaub, to increase toll revenue. The original central tower dates to 1326 and 1327. The article names no architect. The tower is pentagonal, 118 feet (36 m) high and six stories, and it was built as a wave and ice breaker because it stood alone in the river.
Around 1340 a six-sided turreted wall about 39 feet (12 m) high was added around the tower. A gun bastion followed in 1607 and a Baroque tower cap in 1714, and a fire and renovation in 1756 produced the current appearance. The castle withstood a 39-day siege in 1504.
The state of Rhineland-Palatinate has owned it since 1946. It is a museum reached by ferry from Kaub, and it is part of the Rhine Gorge UNESCO site.
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