Bahnhofstraße

More information about the history

Image: Postcard, Bahnhofstrasse, around 1930

It was not only local companies that benefited from having a railway station. An ever increasing number of tourists could also quickly get to Königswinter and other popular destinations – such as the Petersberg, which is easy to see from here. To their loved ones at home, they sent one of the popular postcards with typical tourist attractions or impressive locations, such as the level crossing on this historical postcard.

Image: Hotel Petersberg as seen from the south, Wikipedia user “wolkenkratzer”

On top of the Petersberg there is a hotel which used to be the guest house of the Federal Republic of Germany. History has been written here time and time again. For example in 1949, when the allies signed the Petersberg Agreement and in 1973, when the Soviet head of state Leonid Brezhnev and Chancellor Willy Brandt met in the middle of the Cold War. After it had been closed for a period of time, the government bought the building in 1979 and commissioned its renovation. Since then, international meetings haven been held here, such as the Afghanistan conferences from 2001. Apart from major political events such as these, the “Grand Hotel” now also offers its private guests sophisticated comfort and is a dignified backdrop for the occasional social event.

Image: Pumpernickel slices

The construction of natural stone ovens from “Ofenkaul” hill stone can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It was primarily mined underground and left an extensive system of subterranean tunnels in its wake. The oven stone made from the tuff found here was mainly sold in the Westphalia region. There, ovens with long-lasting and even heat were needed to bake pumpernickel – a wholemeal bread made from coarsely ground rye flour. The oven construction companies had their heyday in the decades around 1900. After this, new steam ovens and electric ovens gradually replaced the “Königswinter oven”.

Practical information

You can find out more about the history of the baking oven at the Siebengebirgsmuseum Königswinter. Bread is baked regularly in the historical stone oven (“Königswinter oven”) in the museum’s garden.
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