Petersberg

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 summit takes its name from a former monastery that monks built on the mountain in the 12th century and that shaped the region's life for hundreds of years. Visitors can still see traces of the old monastery complex today, while the later grand hotel stands as a symbol of the place's transformation from religious center to meeting point for diplomacy.

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.