Under Johann von Braunshorn (1299–1346), Beilstein was granted town privileges in 1309 by Heinrich VII and was fortified.

In 1689 came the destruction of Castle Metternich (known as Die stolze Gemäuer, or "The Proud Walling") by French troops.

Towering above the village, which despite its small size is built to look much like a town, are the ruins of Metternich Castle, which once belonged to the like-named noble family.

The village is a pilgrimage site, for it is here that the "Miraculous Black Madonna" is displayed in the Baroque Saint Joseph's Monastery Church.

Always opening and closing the series of events is a traditional version of the Brothers Grimm’s "Sleeping Beauty", in keeping with one of the village's nicknames.

The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: The municipality has been the setting in a number of German films, such as the 1958 film version of Der Schinderhannes, about the well known outlaw starring Curd Jürgens, Nazi filmmaker Carl Froelich’s 1936 work Wenn wir alle Engel wären ("If We Were All Angels") starring Heinz Rühmann and the 1938 film Das Verlegenheitskind starring Ida Wüst and Paul Klinger.