Travel After Kids: Bonn

Bonn

Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999. Starting in 1998, many national government institutions were moved from Bonn to Berlin. Both houses of the German national parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, were moved along with the Chancellery and the residence of the President of Germany. The history of the city dates back to Roman times. In about 11 BC, the Roman Army appears to have stationed a small unit in what is presently the historical centre of the town. Even earlier, the Army had resettled members of a Germanic tribal group allied with Rome, the Ubii, in Bonn. The Latin name for that settlement, "Bonna", may stem from the original population of this and many other settlements in the area, the Eburoni.

Bonn is the seat of some of Germany's largest corporate players, chiefly in the areas of telecommunications and logistics, Most notably Deutsche Post/DHL , T-Mobile and Deutsche Telecom. Simultaneously, Bonn is establishing itself as an important national and international centre of meetings, conventions and conferences, many of which are directly related to the work of the United Nations. A new conference centre capable of hosting thousands of participants is currently under construction in the immediate vicinity of the UN Campus.

Bonn's most famous son, Ludwig van Beethoven is a great draw for tourists from around the world. The house in which he was born in 1770 is now a museum which houses many original artifacts including the great man's grand piano . The Beethoven Monument is a large bronze statue which stands on the Münsterplatz. It was unveiled on 12 August 1845, in honour of the 75th anniversary of the composer's birth. Many of the city's musical events are dedicated to its most gifted son and music fans from all over the world every year come to Bonn's Beethoven festivals.

Beethoven's birth place is located in Bonngasse near the market place. Next to the market place is the Old Town Hall, built in 1737 in Rococo style, under the rule of Clemens August of Bavaria. It is used for receptions of guests of the town, and as an office for the mayor.

The Poppelsdorfer Allee is an alley flanked by chestnut trees which had the first horsecar of the town. It connects the Kurfürstliches Schloss with the Poppelsdorfer Schloss, a palace that was built as a resort for the prince-electors in the first half of the 18th century, and whose grounds are now a botanical garden.

A tour on one of the cruise vessels on the river Rhine is a 'must do’ of a Bonn visit. Three companies run scheduled boat trips from Friday before Easter to late October. There are three landing stages within the city’s boundaries for you to go aboard ship.

The Elector's Palace

Bonn’s Top 5:

The Bonn Minster. is one of Germany's oldest churches, having been built between the 11th and 13th centuries. At one point the church served as the cathedral for the Archbishopric of Cologne. However, the Minster is now a Papal basilica.
Originally the Minster was the collegiate church of Saints Cassius and Florentius, who were Roman legionaries of the legendary all-Christian Theban Legion. According to legend, Saints Cassius and Florentius, who were under the command of Saint Gereon, were beheaded for their religious beliefs at the present location of the Bonn Minster
Beethoven House. Is a memorial site, museum and cultural institution serving various purposes. Founded in 1889, it studies the life and work of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The centrepiece of the Beethoven-Haus is Beethoven's birthplace at Bonngasse 20. This building houses the museum. The neighbouring buildings (Bonngasse 18 and 24 to 26) accommodate a research centre (Beethoven archive) comprising a collection, as well as a library and publishing house and a chamber music hall. Here, music lovers and experts from all over the world can meet and share their ideas. The Beethoven-Haus is financed by the Beethoven-Haus association and by means of public funds.

Kurfürstliches Schloss. Otherwise known as the Elector's Palace, was the residence of the Archbishops of Cologne. Built in the 18th century by the prince-electors of Köln, this grand palace now houses Bonn's university. If the weather is good, stroll through Hofgarten park in front of it. In Bonn's days as capital, this patch of grass drew tens of thousands to anti-nuclear demonstrations. Today it's mostly used for ball games and family outings.
Alter Friedhof (Old Cemetery). This ornate, leafy cemetery is the resting place of many of the country's most celebrated sons and daughters. Erected In 1715 by Elector Josef Clemens for the inhabitants and soldiers. In 1787 it became the main cemetery of the city and changed from a cemetery for everyone to the place of rest for many prominent persons. August Wilhelm von Schlegel, Robert and Clara Schumann, Adele Schopenhauer, Schiller’s wife Charlotte and his son Ernst, as well as Beethoven’s mother from Ehrenbreitstein are buried here. Famous professors from Bonn are also buried at the old cemetery: August Wilhelm von Schlegel, Ernst Moritz Arndt, Friedrich Argelander, Barthold Georg Niebuhr and Karl Simrock. The Boisserée brothers, who, among others, laid the foundation stone of the “Alte Pinakothek” in Munich and took care of the completion of the Dome of Cologne, are buried here as well.
Godesburg Castle is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of the city. Built in the early 13th century on the Godesberg, a hill of volcanic origin, it was largely destroyed following a siege in 1583 at the start of the Cologne War. In 1891, the German emperor Wilhelm II donated the castle's ruin to the city of Bad Godesberg.
In 1959, the ruin was rebuilt according to plans by Gottfried Böhm, to house a hotel and restaurant. Today, the restaurant is still in operation, but the hotel tract has been divided into apartments.

Godesburg Castle