Petrisberg conversion project

From fallow land to a lively urban district

The conversion of military properties is becoming increasingly significant in the urban development of Trier. With sometimes up to 15,000 stationed soldiers, Trier was France’s second largest garrison city after Paris. With approx. 500 hectares of former military districts within the city, the quantitative land potential is considerable.

The Petrisberg is the most striking conversion area in the city of Trier, on the one hand because of its exposed location right above the inner city, and on the other because of its structural importance for the city and region of Trier. By converting the local barracks area of Belvédère, the city of Trier took advantage of the opportunity to create a new, high-quality urban quarter on the Petrisberg.

Since the abandonment of the military location on the Petrisberg in 1998/1999, and with the founding of EGP Entwicklungsgesellschaft Petrisberg GmbH in 2002, the chance arose to develop the some 70-ha fallow land as a new urban district between the inner city and the university premises, and to give it a new mix of usage. The usage ideas drafted up in the mid 1990s included high-quality residential areas, and particularly the development of a science park adjacent to the university. The WIP Science Park of Trier thus became a central element for developing the Petrisberg.