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Andernach is situated at an altitude of 59 m on the left bank of the river Rhine. The oldest traces of human settlements in the area of the town date from the 4th century BC When the Romans began their wars agains the germanic tribes on the right bank of the river in 12 BC, the settlement Antunnacum and its river harbour were enlarged. Antunnacum became an important centre for trading during the 2nd and 3rd century AD. When the Frankish King Childebert II travelled by ship from Metz to Andernach in AD 588, his companion Venantius Fortunatus described Andernach in a poem. The defeat of Karl II ('the Bald'), king of the West Franks, by Ludwig III, king of the East-Frankish kingdom, in the battle of Andernach (AD 876) secured the rhineland as part of the eastern kingdom.

The Round Tower (Runder Turm) [left] is the landmark of Andernach. It was built in 1440–1453 and is one of Germany's most impressive medieval towers (56 m high). During the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689, the French army destroyed most of the town and also tried to blow up the tower, but its walls (4 m thick) easily withstood the attempts.