The philosophy of correct fly casting, the choice of the right fly and the appropriate rod has elevated fly fishing to the status of a science or - depending on the angle of view - made it a doctrine of faith. In the 20th century its prophet was called: Charles Ritz (1891-1976). Many people know Caesar Ritz, the king of hoteliers, and his wife Marie-Louise, but hardly anyone knows their son Charles. And only very few fly fishers and fly fishers know that Charles has his roots in the Valais, in the beautiful mountain village of Niederwald.
Charles first came into contact with fly fishing at the age of 21. At 25, his mother Marie-Louise sent him to New York to the Ritz-Carlton, where he worked as an assistant manager for $100 a month. There, he was able to finance his first fishing trip to Canada with fly rods that he bought at the flea market and pimped out in the hotel's office, much to the chagrin of the director. "This gave me the fishing-itis virus, which from then on prevented me from devoting my energy to my hotel career." Fly fishing, rod physics, casting mechanics and the development of bamboo rods were henceforth part of his life's purpose.
For many years he worked on his "Gospel", which appeared in French in 1953 and is entitled "Experienced Fly Fishing" in the German translation. With this work, Charles definitely elevated himself to the prophet of fly fishing. The elite of fly fishers from all over the world gathered in Paris from 1958 in the illustrious Fario Club to see its founder and prophet. His famous "disciples" accompanied him to the most beautiful salmon, brown trout and grayling waters in the world. One of the most famous companions was probably the writer Ernest Hemingway, who wrote in the preface to Ritz's book: "Few people have the privilege of roaming through all the expanses of the world fishing like Monsieur Charles. However the world may go, there will be even fewer of them who ever fish as well as he."
The exhibition will run from July - December 2023 (open daily from 8 am - 6 pm).
The vernissage will take place on Saturday, July 1, 2023. The finissage is scheduled for Saturday, December 2, 2023.