Introduction
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Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyKönigswinter TownFront of St. Remigius Roman Catholic Church (May 2009)
Coat of armsLocation of Königswinter
within Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district
Location of KönigswinterKönigswinter Show map of GermanyKönigswinter Show map of North Rhine-WestphaliaCoordinates: 50°40′25″N 7°11′41″E / 50.67361°N 7.19472°E / 50.67361; 7.19472CountryGermanyStateNorth Rhine-WestphaliaAdmin. regionKöln DistrictRhein-Sieg-Kreis Government • Mayor (2020–25) Heike JünglingArea • Total76.17 km2 (29.41 sq mi)Highest elevation460 m (1,510 ft)Lowest elevation51 m (167 ft)Population (2024-12-31) • Total40,574 • Density532.7/km2 (1,380/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes53639Dialling codes02223, 02242, 02244, 0228Vehicle registrationSUWebsitewww.koenigswinter.de
Königswinter (German pronunciation: [ˈkøːnɪçsˌvɪntɐ] ⓘ; Kölsch: Köningkswinte; Low Franconian: Keuningswintjer) is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
[edit]
Königswinter is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Bad Godesberg, at the foot of the Siebengebirge. It covers an area of 76.19 square kilometres which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the Rhein-Sieg district. It contains over 80 townships and boroughs, divided over the municipal districts of Stieldorf, Niederdollendorf, Oberdollendorf, Heisterbacherrott, Ittenbach, Oberpleis, Eudenbach, Thomasberg and Königswinter proper.
Main sights
[edit]
Drachenfels[edit]
The Drachenfels, crowned by the ruins of a castle built in the early 12th century by the archbishop of Cologne, rises behind the town. From the summit, which can be accessed by the Drachenfels Railway, there is a view celebrated by Lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.
A cave in the hill is said to have sheltered the dragon (German: Drachen) which was slain by the hero Siegfried. The mountain is quarried, and from 1267 onward supplied stone (trachyte) for the building of Cologne Cathedral. The Schloss Drachenburg, built in 1883, is on the north side of the hill.
Petersberg and Heisterbach[edit]
The Petersberg mountain also overlooks Königswinter. This was formerly the home of an Augustinian and, later, Cistercian monastery. Around 1195 the monks moved to the foot of the mountain and founded the Abbey of Heisterbach, which was destroyed in 1803. The ruins can still be seen.
Today the peak of the Petersberg is occupied by the Hotel Petersberg, a grand hotel which serves as a guest house for the German Government. Many world leaders have stayed there, and conferences are regularly held. Like the Drachenfels, the Petersberg was once served by its own railway, the Petersberg Railway, but this closed in 1958 and the hotel is now reached by road or helicopter.
The town[edit]
Königswinter has a Catholic (St Remigius) and a Protestant church, some small manufactures and a little shipping. It has a monument to the poet Wolfgang Müller.
