Sankt Goar enjoys a picturesque setting at the foot of dramatic slopes along the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sleepy town is overlooked by the famous 13th-century ruins of Rheinfels Castle. The largest castle on the Rhine, its ruins have been partially restored and some of its buildings today host a luxury hotel and wellness center. The Dukes of Katzenelnbogen built it as their only fortification on the left bank of the Rhine. It was expanded over a span of 550 years, only to be destroyed by the French in 1797. Many of its stones were quarried to build the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz. The village of Sankt Goar was named for a 7th-century priest, hermit and later saint who was known for performing miracles; most notably, he was seen to have hung his hat on a sunbeam as if the twinkling ray were solid. The fortifying wall of the village was once linked to the castle. On the river’s opposite bank, in the sister town of Sankt Goarshausen, the smaller yet no less splendid castles of Katz and Maus (“Cat” and “Mouse”) enjoy lofty perches.