The Jakobsberg Nature Resort in Boppard, Germany, revives a 1157 monastery above the Rhine

High above Boppard, in the Unesco-listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, the Jakobsberg celebrated its official opening in mid-October 2026 in front of some 150 guests. The former monastic estate, fully renovated at a cost of several tens of millions of euros, is now an 86-room resort with a spa, an 18-hole golf course and an infinity pool overlooking the bend of the Rhine.

☰Contents

1. A monastic estate confirmed in 1157
2. Why talk of a rebirth this autumn?
3. 86 rooms from 22 to 48 m²
4. A pool suspended above the bend of the Rhine
5. Fine dining fed by the herb garden
6. An 18-hole course, padel and clay shooting
7. Boppard, 72 km from Frankfurt Airport

A monastic estate confirmed in 1157

The story begins with a charter from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, dated 15 April 1157, confirming the foundation of a monastery on the Jakobsberg. In 1262, Richard of Cornwall confirmed a wine rent drawn from the royal vineyard of Boppard. In 1960, the entrepreneur Hans Riegel, co-owner of Haribo, bought the estate and had the buildings restored in the traditional way, under the supervision of the heritage authorities.

The monastery chapel, destroyed by French troops at the end of the 18th century, was rebuilt between 2009 and 2015 using late Gothic fragments. It houses an original Baroque altar and a statue of St James, seats around fifty people and is used for weddings.

Why talk of a rebirth this autumn?

The estate now belongs to the Austrian Kaiserschild foundation, set up by Hans Riegel. After a full renovation, which the company puts at a double-digit sum in millions of euros, the resort had a soft reopening on 14 May 2026: the restaurants, golf course, indoor pool and bar opened first. The official opening party in mid-October brought together some 150 guests in the Rheingoldsaal around general manager Thies Bruhn.

86 rooms from 22 to 48 m²

The resort has 73 rooms and 13 suites. Doubles range from 22 to 31 m², some with a balcony or terrace, junior suites from 38 to 40 m², and the Suite Deluxe Rheinblick, the largest, reaches 48 m². All have air conditioning, a minibar and bathrobes, and accessible rooms are available for guests with reduced mobility. Dogs are welcome for €40 a night.

A pool suspended above the bend of the Rhine

The official website states 2,800 m² for the whole spa and wellness area, named Pure Elements. The indoor pool is open all year round; on the roof terrace, a heated infinity pool looks out over the bend of the Rhine. Add to that three saunas and steam rooms, five treatment rooms for massages and facials, and a gym open day and night.

Fine dining fed by the herb garden

The house fine-dining restaurant, the Kräutergarten (‘herb garden’) works with short supply chains, using herbs from the old monastery garden, Wednesday to Saturday evenings. Die Tafeley follows the Rhine on the plate, from its source in the Swiss Alps to the North Sea, with a terrace facing the river; the Benetton feeds the golfers, and the private dining room Le Raffinement hosts small groups.

As for the bars, the Montgolfier pays tribute to the balloonist brothers with a round counter beneath a large chandelier and a terrace over the valley. The vaulted Hunters Club extends into a wine cellar for tastings, next to a cigar lounge.

An 18-hole course, padel and clay shooting

The 18-hole course, PGA-certified, wraps around the estate, with a golf academy and a TrackMan studio to work on your swing. The resort also offers padel courts, clay pigeon shooting, four meeting rooms of up to 145 m² and a seasonal Biergarten.

Boppard, 72 km from Frankfurt Airport

The resort lies about ten kilometres from Koblenz station, via the A61 motorway (Koblenz-Waldesch exit), and some 72 km from Frankfurt Airport. All around, the RheinBurgenWeg strings together 200 km of castle trail between Remagen and Bingen, and the Marksburg, the only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine never to have been destroyed, is close by. For a city stopover, see the Taj Hessischer Hof in Frankfurt; for another convent turned hotel, Castel Badia in the Dolomites; and for a German Alpine spa, the Kempinski Berchtesgaden.