Near Eberbach there is a crumbling ruin known as the "Spectacular Ruin". The raft captain tells a tale about a dragon that terrorized the region. A Sir Wissenschaft killed the dragon with a fire extinguisher and was granted a spectacles concession by the emperor for his heroism.
Eberbach is a former Imperial Free City, founded soon after 1227—when the castle was first mentioned—by German King Henry VII of the House of Hohenstaufen. After his pledge to the Counts Palatine in 1330, the old Free City belonged to the Electorate of the Palatinate. In 1803 it passed to the Principality of Leiningen, and since 1806 it has belonged to Baden. Until 1924 it was the seat of the authority office (Bezirksamt). In 1977 the town celebrated its 750-year jubilee.
About 5 M. farther up the romantic valley of the Neckar, and also situat-
ed on the right bank (diligence from Neckargemünd , 15 M. ) , lies
Eberbach (* Leininger Hof; Krone, on the Neckar, R. 1 M 40, B.
70 pf. ), an old town, belonging to the Prince of Leiningen, and carrying
on a brisk trade in timber.
The Rhine from Rotterdam to Constance (1878), Route 30 page 212