This fortified palace lies west of the Old Town on an elongated hill ridge, the Willibaldsberg at an elevation of 464 m above sea level,[1] overlooking the Altmühl valley, the eastern portion being referred to as the Frauenberg.

The Altmühl river here forms a sharp bend which, due to the resulting ridge was an ideal spot for the medieval castle and later fortress.

This High Medieval edifice, which lay on the western spur of the hill was probably a large stone house, a tower and a chapel, protected by surrounding curtain walls and moats.

[3] Bishop Frederick IV of Oettingen (1383-1415) strengthened the fortifications by building a Zwinger kennel and had an "aestuarium magnum aestivale" built.

[4] Schaumberg made major changes to the front of the eastern side, creating an extensive structure (the Schaumbergbau) with three wings out of the old curtain wall, which was now closed to the exterior.

This prestigious residential building shaped the appearance of the castle, together with the expansion of the late Renaissance, up to the 19th century, although weapons continued to be stored in the basement.

[2] After the short reign of Bishop Caspar von Seckendorff (1590–1595), Gemmingen added, among other things, a famous botanical garden, the Eichstätter Garten.

Bishop Johann Christoph von Westerstetten (1612-1636) arranged for completion of the new building (Gemmingenbau), which was still piecemeal, and initiated further conversions.

During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), a Swedish army under the command of Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar was able to take the castle fortress in the spring of 1633.

[11] Bishop Marquard II Schenk von Castell (1636-1685) then ordered the repair of the damage and installed gun casemates in the bastions.

Between 1926 and 1934, the Congregation of Oblates of St. Francis de Sales occupied part of the Willibaldsburg,[12] and from 1945 to 1955, the castle housed refugees from eastern regions of Germany including East Prussia, Silesia and Pomerania.

The Gothic Dirnitz, a five-bay, cross-vaulted courtyard room, whose square main hall rests on a round central pillar is here.

Otherwise, apart from the shield wall in front of the "Gemmingenbau", there is nothing left of the "Schaumbergbau" above ground, the main hall of which, according to the court chamber protocol of 1765, had twenty-nine windows and was spanned by a magnificent wooden ceiling.

The portal of the west building is therefore on the north corner, the ground floor arcades of the south wing lack their northern counterparts.

Nevertheless, the monumental west building, with its two square corner towers and the bastion fortifications, is considered the city's landmark.

There are regular special exhibitions, guided tours and lectures organized by the “Freunde des Jura-Museums Eichstätt e. V.” The museum was closed at the end of 2018 due to the uncertain financial situation.

The 1977 Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA) Bayern architecture prize was awarded to Willibaldsburg for the construction of the Jura Museum.