[3] The town lies in the Hunsrück roughly 6 km from the Rhine, south of Boppard and west of Sankt Goar.

The Stadtteil of Liesenfeld lies on Emmelshausen's western town limit, on Landesstraße (State Road) 206 towards Gondershausen.

Emmelshausen became self-administering only in 1935; Liesenfeld and Basselscheid were amalgamated with the new municipality, which since 1946 has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The red cross on the silver field on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side stands for Basselscheid by referring to its former mediaeval allegiance to the Electorate of Trier, which bore this armorial device.

Likewise, the charge on the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side, the lion rampant, was the armorial device borne by the Electorate of the Palatinate, to which Liesenfeld belonged until the 18th century.

Indeed, the Trier Cross and the Palatine Lion are to be found in many modern German coats of arms in regions where these two bodies held sway.

Below the line of partition stands a charge that is symbolic of not only the merger of the three centres, but also of this young town's quick development.

[8] The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:[9] About 100 clubs make for a great number of local festivals and events, thereby contributing to social coöperation and the practice of customs.