In the early 11th century, Bacharach had its first documentary mention. It may have been that as early as the 7th century, the kingly domain passed into Archbishop of Cologne Kunibert�s ownership; pointing to this is a Kunibertskapelle (chapel) on the spot where now stands the Wernerkapelle. The V�gte of the Cologne estate were the Elector of the Palatinate, who over time pushed back Cologne�s influence. Count Palatine already had so much influence that he resided at Stahleck Castle. His successor Konrad von Staufen�s daughter secretly wed at Stahleck Castle a son of the Welfs, who were family foes, leading to Bacharach�s, and indeed the whole County Palatine�s, falling for a short time to Henry of Brunswick. In 1214 the Wittelsbachs became Bacharach�s new lords. Together with the Unteramt of Kaub they received here their most important toll and revenue source. In 1314 it was decided to choose Louis the Bavarian as the German king. Furthermore, Bacharach was the most important transfer point for the wine trade, as barrels were offloaded here from the smaller ships that were needed to get by the Binger Loch (a quartzite reef in the Rhine upstream near Bingen) and loaded onto bigger ones. From then on, the wine bore the designation Bacharacher. The timber trade from the Hunsr�ck also brought Bacharach importance, and in 1356, Bacharach was granted town rights.
Widely visible is the Wernerkapelle, a Rheinromantik landmark of the town, lying on the way up to Stahleck Castle from the town. It is the expanded Kunibertkapelle, and is still an unfinished Gothic ruin today. Its namesake is the former �saint� Werner von Oberwesel, known for his anti-Semitic associations. According to the Christian blood libel, which was typical of the times, the 16-year-old was murdered on Maundy Thursday 1287 by members of the local Jewish community, who then used his blood for Passover observances. On the grounds of this alleged ritual murder, there arose an anti-Semitic mob who
