The complex, which was probably built in the 13th century, was the nucleus of the Rhenish Palatinate, a secondary residence and the seat of the district administration. Under the two Ruprechts in particular, Count Palatine Ruprecht II and Ruprecht III, who was German king as Ruprecht I from 1400 to 1410, Alzey Castle was one of the favourite residences of the Counts Palatine.
Ruprecht II was therefore sometimes referred to as the ‘Duke of Alzey,’ and during King Ruprecht's reign, Alzey and its castle were even considered the ‘chancellery’ of the empire due to the large number of documents issued there.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle was expanded into a representative palace complex, but it was severely damaged during the War of the Palatinate Succession.
In the wake of the romantically inspired wave of castle restoration in the 19th century, the ruins of Alzey Castle were rebuilt in historicist splendour at the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, the castle has been used as a magistrate's court.
