Petersberg, Summit in Königswinter, Germany

Petersberg is a 336-meter summit near Königswinter that rises above the Rhine Valley and the rolling hills of the Siebengebirge range. On its plateau stands a former hotel that has served for decades as a conference venue for high-level political meetings and is surrounded by forests and walking trails.

The Federal Republic of Germany launched the Petersberg Climate Dialogue from 2010 onwards to create a new discussion platform for environmental issues after the failed negotiations at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The Foreign Office took over leadership of these annual meetings from the Environment Ministry in 2022.

The mountain was first documented as Stromberg in 1142 and only took the name Petersberg from the chapel of St Peter built on the peak around 1763 by Abbot Augustin Mengelberg of Heisterbach and consecrated at Easter 1764. The baroque chapel keeps its original furnishings, and a Mass is held there at 10 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month from May to September.

Access to the summit follows a winding road that runs through the forest and is open to pedestrians and cyclists. The area around the building is not open to the public on conference days, but the walking trails usually remain accessible.

Representatives from around 40 countries meet annually on the mountain to coordinate positions for the upcoming World Climate Conference. These informal talks take place away from the public eye and often prepare breakthroughs in later official negotiations.