The castle, which was probably built in the 10th century, was first mentioned in a document in 964. In that year, the Archdiocese of Trier gave it to Count Siegfried of Luxembourg as a fief. After the death of Siegfried's son Adelbero in 1046, the castle reverted to the Archbishopric of Trier.
The Lords of Reuland seem to have acquired rights to the castle through the Counts of Luxembourg. Because of these rights, the castle was occupied by Arnold von Reuland in 1300. He only released the castle again after Archbishop Balduin von Trier bought his rights from him in 1313. Since at the same time John of Luxembourg, also known as John of Bohemia or the blind, renounced all rights of the Counts of Luxembourg to the castle, Electoral Trier was the sole owner of the castle from that time. The archbishops of Trier had the castle constantly expanded in the years that followed.
In 1431 Ulrich von Manderscheid attacked the castle and destroyed it. Johann II von Baden rebuilt the castle and had himself consecrated Archbishop of Trier in the castle chapel in 1464.
In 1522 the castle was successfully defended against the troops of Franz von Sickingen, but was again destroyed 30 years later by Margrave Albrecht Alcibiades von Brandenburg-Kulmbach. The reconstruction took place at the end of the 16th century.
During Louis XIV's wars of conquest, the castle was occupied several times by the French and Spanish. In the War of the Spanish Succession, the castle was conquered again by the French in 1702 and only liberated in 1704 by the Prussian Legion "Schwerin". Barely inhabited since 1734, the complex began to deteriorate.