Around 1265, King Richard of Cornwall had a tower built in Boppard to safeguard his claims of power to the German throne from his rival, Alfons of Castille. This is confirmed by more recent architectural history investigations. In 1335, Electoral Prince Archbishop Balduin erected a fortress west of the tower to secure the levying of the Rhine tolls. In the ensuing centuries, the electoral castle went through destruction, a re-construction, conversion and an extension. Amongst other things, it served to accommodate the toll station, local constabulary and police station; in addition to this, it served as a local court, a prison, a military hospital and living quarters. It has also been home to the town museum for around 100 years.
 

One of the main focuses of today's museum is the unique collection of world-famous Bentwood furniture made by Michael Thonet (born 2 July 1796 in Boppard) and his sons.

In addition to the special exhibition on Philipp Franz von Siebold (explorer of Japan), the collection of pictures by Nikolaus Schlad can be found on the top floor of the Museum. His drawings of documentary value, composed from 1836 to 1865, impressively depict the Boppard of those days.
 

The castle’s chapel was originally to be found in the tower; this is where a mural dating back to the second half of the 14th century was discovered and exposed in 1910, depicting Christ as judge of the world. Other sacral objects can also be viewed here.

In addition to this, there is an exhibition displaying testimonials to the Stone and Bronze Age, exhibits from the Roman period in Boppard and from the town’s history ranging from the Frankish period, the Middle Ages right up to the 19th century.

Other departments are currently being revised.

	Michael Thonet
	Engelbert Humperdinck
	Philipp Franz Freiherr von Siebold
	Rudolf Stang
	Hans Jöres

 

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