Trutzbingen, Medieval castle ruins in Münster-Sarmsheim, Germany

Trutzbingen is castle ruins on a hill between Münster-Sarmsheim and Bingen am Rhein in Rhineland-Palatinate. About half of the original round tower still stands, rising from the landscape in a noticeable way.

The structure was built in 1493 as a toll station after a major fire destroyed Bingen. The tower was meant to monitor river traffic and collect fees.

The name Trutzbingen means "against Bingen": the tower was built as a counter to the market fee Bingen levied after its 1490 fire. Münster-Sarmsheim's citizens complained, then obtained from Elector Philip the Righteous their own weekly market, secured in 1493 by this barrier. Since 2002 the ruin has belonged to the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

The location sits directly on the road connecting Münster-Sarmsheim and Bingen, making it easy to reach. The ruins stand open to view on the hill, so visitors can see them from the road or close up.

In 1504 Landgrave William II of Hesse had the tower blown up on the side facing Bingen, so the surviving half-shell opens toward Bingen am Rhein rather than toward Münster-Sarmsheim. The gap is the result of deliberate demolition, not weathering.