The Rhine Gold is the first of the four operas that compose Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. As well as a sacred legend, the Rhine's gold washers did in fact extract up to 15 kilograms of gold dust in the best years of the 19th century. But the Rhine's gold, proffered so majestically to the guests of the Bellevue Rheinhotel, is also embodied by a distinctive Art de Vivre, whose gastronomy, wine, art and castles bear witness to unparalleled sophistication.

The Bellevue Rheinhotel was built in 1887 (and later refurbished in the Art nouveau style in 1911) on the left bank of the Rhine on what is without doubt one of the most romantic spots of the river that Schumann so remarkably extolled. With over 40 castles along less than 65 kilometers of river bank, it is home to a concentration of stately abodes that is unique in the world. The cruise line between Mainz and Coblenz was so famed for its beauty that it ferried over one million passengers in 1860. At the time, the cruise took several days, explaining the luxury of the riverside hotels. The town of Boppard has stood on the left bank of the Rhine for over two millennia. A few kilometers upstream, the rock of Lorelei, which rises 120 meters above the river, is renowned for its special echo. According to German folklore, notably revived by poet Heinrich Heine, the alluring song of the Lorelei maiden, rendered even more special by the rock's echo, distracted sailors to such an extent that many vessels ran foul of the gorge's treacherous waters: "She sings a song…with a peculiar, powerful melody. It seizes upon the boatman in his small boat/with unrestrained woe…"

Since its construction, the hotel's proud outline overlooks the cruise ships, whose course is today carefully way marked. The property is as unchanging as the Lorelei rock because it still belongs to the same family and has retained many decorative details that continue to bind it to its classical roots, among which a portrait gallery of four generations who devoted their lives to the spot, a superb Steinway concert piano, a wainscoted lift cage complete with a leather seat, a profusion of marble floors and walls and countless pieces of period furniture, etc. Boppard was the birthplace of Michael Thonet. The name of this cabinetmaker, who invented curved wooden furniture, is not very well known, but everyone has one day sat on his N°14 café chair, no doubt the furniture world's first bestseller (45 million had been manufactured by 1903) and one of Art nouveau's most emblematic creations. The Bellevue Rheinhotel is home to many original pieces of furniture by Michael Thonet, including a guestroom entirely furnished by the great inventor and designer whose home can still be seen in Vienna. Other superlative examples of the 19th century include white-painted wrought-iron work whose intricate ornamentation adorns the terraces of the restaurants overlooking the Rhine.

In summertime, the Bellevue Rheinhotel opens a restaurant beneath the leafy trees that line the Rhine, called Le Jardin. Very few sounds disturb this peaceful spot apart from the murmured voices of strollers or the soft hum of passing cruisers. The Jardin, Bristol and Chopin restaurants all pay tribute to the Rhine's outstanding cuisine and wines. The hotel's exceptional wine cellar is also well worth a look if you have time. Many of the guestrooms, opening onto little balconies bathed in sunlight, command a view of the river. The guestrooms' and hotel's fixtures and fittings are truly exemplary, illustrated by the quality of the stunning spa decked in sumptuous gold and navy blue ceramic work. Since 2002, the upper half of the Middle Rhine, in the heart of which lies Boppard, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. This classification bears witness to the organization’s wish to pay tribute and continue to preserve this region for its natural beauty and historic significance, exemplified by the thriving trade it encouraged between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Such exchanges are also illustrated by the frequent sightings of green lizards, natives of the Mediterranean basin, on the hotel's dry stone walls, the presence of which further confirms the valley's mild climate, in the same way as does the iberis of Boppard, a delicate white and purple flower that grows nowhere else on earth.