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Or sign-in if you have an account.Meetings of U.S. and Iranian representatives have commenced in the Swiss resort, which has also been visited by Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn and Sean Connery. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI /AFPThe uber-plush Burgenstock resort perched high above Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne — the dramatic setting for Sunday’s U.S.-Iran talks — is well-accustomed to hosting world leaders, movie icons and peace negotiations.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe luxurious hotel complex was proposed by Washington and Tehran, and their Pakistani and Qatari mediators, for the negotiations aimed at fleshing out their preliminary agreement on ending nearly four months of war.The tranquil and picturesque location is hard to access, with water on three sides, and is therefore easy to seal off for major events.Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againHepburn, Bond and ChaplinThe exclusive complex, in classic picture-postcard Switzerland scenery, has been welcoming leaders and the well-to-do for more than 150 years.Charlie Chaplin met Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the resort in 1953, along with his daughter, the future Indian premier Indira Gandhi. The Burgenstock resort looks out over Lake Lucerne. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI /AFPScreen idol Audrey Hepburn married her first husband, Mel Ferrer, in the Burgenstock’s chapel in 1954, and they made the luxurious destination their home, living in the resort’s Villa Bethania.Italian actor Sophia Loren had a chalet on Burgenstock mountain — now the site of its Persian restaurant — while Queen Ingrid of Denmark was among the hotel’s visitors.Sean Connery was based there when shooting the 1964 James Bond movie “Goldfinger,” spending a month at the resort and filming scenes on the mountain.Israeli prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir visited, while West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer spent July and August 1950 there.Jimmy Carter stayed there before becoming U.S. president in 1977.Location, location, location The Palace Hotel was built in 1903 at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland’s Nidwalden canton. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI /AFPEight kilometres (five miles) from Lucerne in central Switzerland, the Burgenstock mountain dominates the centre of the lake.Its peak is 1,128 metres (3,700 feet) above sea level and the northern slope plunges nearly 700 metres down to Lake Lucerne.The Burgenstock resort sits 450 metres above the water on a ridge below the peak.It comprises four main hotel buildings, from the Belle Epoque to the ultra-modern, plus seven restaurants, along with other villas and residences.While the contemporary lake view royal suite could set guests back from 19,500 Swiss francs (US$24,550) a night — before fees and taxes — a simple chalet room can cost 310 francs.Breathtaking railways, liftsThe brainchild of sawmill business partners Franz Josef Bucher and Josef Durrer, the Grand Hotel opened in 1873. The Palace Hotel was added in 1903.In total, there are 360 rooms and suites, and up to 700 staff.The Hammetschwand Lift, a rocket-shaped metal lattice tower and the highest outdoor lift in Europe, shoots up 152 metres to the mountain summit. The Burgenstock complex is in the small Swiss canton of Nidwalden. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI /AFPKatara Hospitality, owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, took over in 2007 and completed a revamp a decade later.Most regular guests arrive by the lengthy winding mountain road, or by catamaran from Lucerne, followed by a spectacular funicular railway, 929 metres long and rising 434 metres.The Buochs Airport at the foot of the mountain can also take private jets and helicopters.Peace talksSunday’s talks were not the first time world issues have been thrashed out at the Burgenstock.In June 2024, leaders and top officials from more than 90 countries held a two-day summit dedicated to resolving Russia’s war in Ukraine. Leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a group photograph during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in June 2024. Photo by MICHAEL BUHOLZER /POOL/AFPThey backed Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, and the need for eventual talks with Russia on ending the war — but left the key questions of how and when unresolved.The resort hosted the secretive annual Bilderberg meeting of global power brokers in 1960, 1981 and 1995.The Sudanese government and the main rebel group agreed to a six-month ceasefire in the Nuba Mountain region in 2002 at the Burgenstock, paving the way for a peace agreement in 2005.In 2004, four-way talks were held on a plan to reunify Cyprus, presided over by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, but failed to produce an agreement.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. 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