Retzstadt lies in the Main-Spessart district in a side-valley of the Main, on the river Retz.

Retzstadt was, as part of the Princely Electorate (Hochstift) of Würzburg (Cathedral chapter) in Bavaria's favour secularized and passed in the Peace of Pressburg in 1805 to Archduke Ferdinand of Tuscany to form the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, with which it passed in 1814 to Bavaria.

The tinctures argent and gules (silver and red) recall the centuries during which the Prince-Bishopric (Hochstift) of Würzburg held sway in the area.

[3] According to official statistics, there were 22 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in producing businesses in 1998.

Retzstadt was a model community for the use of information and communication technology for developing the rural area.