Bonn was the capital of the former West Germany (or Bundesrepublik in German) between1949 and 1990. It is the nineteenth largest (according to Wikipedia) city in Germany which says much about why it was chosen to be the new capital following World War Two; Konrad Adenauer, the post-war chancellor ... Read review
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A review by fizzytom on Bonn (Germany) March 20th, 2007
Author's product rating:
Value for Money
Average
Sightseeing
Good
Shopping
Average
Nightlife
Average
Ease of getting around
Excellent
Advantages:
Compact, cultured, loads to do
Disadvantages:
Limited "old town", some may find it lacking vitality
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Bonn was the capital of the former West Germany (or Bundesrepublik in German) between1949 and 1990. It is the nineteenth largest (according to Wikipedia) city in Germany which says much about why it was chosen to be the new capital following World War Two; Konrad Adenauer, the post-war chancellor of the Bundesrepublik, was a local lad and he pushed for Bonn to become capital over Frankfurt, a city which was in a much better position to take on the role. Frankfurt already had many suitable buildings and a good infrastructure but Bonn won the day in spite of the added costs involved.
Following World War Two, Germany was divided into four zones; this was done to satisfy the Allies who each had various claims on the territory and wished to protect their individual interests and the other reason was that it was believed that Germany needed to be prevented from becoming too powerful again in the future. Although Berlin was also divided, it was seen as imperative that Berlin should be erased from German consciousness as symbolic of what had gone on before and the newly installed West German government agreed that Bonn would be an acceptable capital since it had no connections with the country's controversial past.
Bonn was essentially a small town some 20 kilometres south of Cologne. It had little in the way of large buildings necessary to house government institutions but over the decades it became a shining example of a modern and orderly German city with an excellent public transport system and notable architecture, providing its citizens with good housing, open spaces and varied cultural pursuits.
Bonn is undoubtedly the "small town in Germany" described by John Le Carre; in fact some Germans joked and called it the "Bundesdorf" - the Federal village and Bonn certainly does feel quite small and insular. However, Bonn is not short of things to do and could easily have kept us occupied for several days; alas, we had only one day to cram in as much as possible.
The first thing you should do on arrival is head to the Tourist Information Office near Munsterplatz and buy a Bonn Regio Card; they start at 9 Euro for an adult for 24 hours and can be bought for 24, 48 or 72 hours; family cards are particularly good value and the assistant who served us kept pointing this out - maybe he wanted us to go out onto the street and collar a couple of kids to come sightseeing with us!
As well as free entry to virtually all the museums and galleries in Bonn and the suburbs, the card entitles you to free use of the public transport system and gives discount at some shops, cafes and restaurants. We more than recouped the cost of our one day cards.
Getting about in Bonn is a pleasure; as soon as you arrive you can tell that Bonn is one of those orderly German cities where transport is clean and frequent and where pedestrians are respected and allowed plenty of traffic free areas to roam. The buses are easy to negotiate and all buses, underground and light rail systems have electronic destination signs as well as spoken announcements telling you which is the next stop and which direction the bus is headed in.
To really fit in you should think about hiring a bicycle; there are dedicated cycle lanes and also cycle stations where you can secure the bike or where you can get someone to fix any problems the bike might have.
There are galleries and museums dotted around the city but the main concentration is around Museum Mile, close to the university. We visited the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn; this museum tells the story of the area from prehistoric times to the present day with an emphasis on the character, economy and crafts of the region. It plays hosts to temporary exhibitions but we went primarily to see the remains of Neanderthal man and a great deal of the exhibits are linked to this.
Next stop was the small Altstadt or Old Town; this area in Bonn is not very remarkable, not especially old or scenic but reasonably attractive. The centre of Bonn has one or two striking buildings such as the Doppelkirche but lacks the appeal of other German cities in the area like Koblenz or Cologne.
In the afternoon we visited the August Macke Museum and Gallery devoted to the life and work of the artist who lived and worked in Bonn in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. There is a reconstruction of the artist's studio on the top floor. The other floors show a few of his painting but primarily the work of his contemporaries who are less well known; I was disappointed by this and thought that there should have been more of Macke's work on display. The photographs and written pieces on display put the artist's life and work in a historical context were certainly worth the visit however and I thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so we spent there. Most of this was in German but there may be information in English if you ask.
Our final port of call was the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - the Museum of the History of the Federal Republic. This is a lively and quirky museum with interactive elements and a focus on how West Germany developed in the post war years. It may sound a little stuffy but its not; of all the museums in Bonn this is probably the best one to take children to. It's fun and varied and highly enjoyable.
We broke up our days sightseeing with numerous stops for drinks and for lunch. Bonn has a diverse restaurant scene with the area around the August Macke Museum being full of Chinese, Indian and Turkish restaurants. Closer to the centre there are the usual fast food joints but also a good number of traditional eateries; they can be a little pricey and the set menus are the best value. Basically if you see a group of businessmen going somewhere for lunch it should be a good bet. The menu will have a choice of starters and main courses as well as a daily pudding; there should be something for everyone at a reasonable price. Menus are often available in English if you do not speak German although most people do speak excellent English; the place we ate suggested something from the "soap tureen" - maybe to cleanse your palette between courses?
There are numerous "konditorei" - the places you see with hundreds of kinds of gooey cream cakes in the windows but a growing number of places specializing in tea. Best of all are the quirky and individual little bars which you'll find tucked away in the back streets, each totally different from the last. The local drink is "kolsch" which is a light lager/beer drink; it's not unusual but its pretty good.
Shopping in Bonn is distinctly average but then why should it be otherwise? There is some concession to tourism with numerous opportunities to buy Beethoven related souvenirs but we found nothing particularly "Bonn-ish" that one might want to take home. Having said that the shops are pleasant enough and there is plenty to look at as you make your way through the city centre.
Bonn is a bustling multicultural city the population of which is boosted by 30, 000 students. All over there were fly posters for concerts - classical, rock and world music; there were notices for meetings and political campaigns; there were people stopping to chat' people queuing to buy street food. Overall I was struck by a sense of community and civility. Bonn certainly does seem to be the stereotypical German city that is orderly yet creative and culturally advanced. I was there only for one day but I felt I had pretty much worked out what Bonn is all about.
With so much more still to see - the Beethoven House Museum, the Museum of Egyptian History, the Museum of Modern Art and much more - I will certainly make a point of visiting Bonn again at some point in the future, possibly in conjunction with a visit to Cologne. Bonn does have the air of a village but that seems to me down to the friendliness and civility of its citizens. It is so much more than merely a "small town in Germany".
Nearest airport - Cologne/Bonn
Accommodation - a quick glance at the city Tourist Information website shows that Bonn has a variety of accommodation to suit all budgets
Advantages: Nice shops, many museums, various trips Disadvantages: Lacking in something, I'm just not sure what
The former capital of Germany, Bonn is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a while, but especially since I went to Berlin, the new capital, in a compare and contrast sort of way. I only had 28 hours in the city, but I still saw a fair bit.
One think I would recommend that you do immediately on arrival is to get hold of a Welcome Card. These start at 9 Euros for one person for 24 hours, but ones for longer periods, or for groups and families ... ...starting from that point.
Bonn has around 40 museums, and I couldn’t possibly visit all in my short time there, but I got round a fair few, helped by the fact that with my Welcome card making entrances free, I could walk in, have a nosy around and leave if I didn’t like it, without feeling I had wasted money.
BEETHOVENHAUS
• Address: Bonngasse 20
• Tel: +49 228 9817525
• Entrance: €4 / €3 (concessions)
...
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Advantages: Interesting Disadvantages: Not enough foreign language support
When I visited Bonn a couple of years ago, I was particularly impressed by the Haus der Geschichte (Home of history) museum.
It was incredibly new at the time (or at least seemed so) and was very well put together. Designed for a mainly German audience, it concentrated very much on domestic matters and history, but was a brilliant insight from an outsiders point of view.
I was little disappointed at the time that there was no much support for non-German ... ...too, we are more guilty of being foreigner-unfriendly I think.
The holocaust section is very chilling. Original metal shelving with row upon row of little cards recording Jews etc. The furnace illustration was truly moving too. A small dark room in which there was the consant roar of the furnances of a concentration camp.
The modern part of the museum concentrated quite heavily on post-war politics and includes a setup of the then parliament.
...
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Advantages: nice people, beautiful city Disadvantages: can't think of any
...and enjoy yourself. If you want to go out in Cologne, the best places to eat and relax are in the old town, not far from the main train station. You'll find a lot of restaurants and you have a great view on the river Rhein. To have a drink you can go to one of the many cocktailbars on Heumarkt or Zuelpicher Platz. This is a very trendy and young region with some Studentbars, so the drinks and entries are quite cheap here. If you want to go to a club which is very "in" you could go on the "Ringe". But make sure you don't wear trainers!
What you have to drink here is Koelsch!
Of course there are other things to see and do other then drinking and partying at night. I mentioned the river Rhine before and you can make boattrips to places like Bonn (which was the capital of Germany before Berlin). Cologne is famous for it Cathedral, which is just...
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Advantages: strikingly modern and full of history, free access Disadvantages: none
...1916 the words 'DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE' (To the German people) were chiselled above the main façade, the Kaiser didn't like that at all, he found the inscription far too democratic.
On 27th February 1933 a fire broke out in the building under dubious circumstances, the Nazi party under Adolf Hitler used it as a pretext to take over the Government. They didn't use the building for parliamentary sessions, however, it would have been necessary to renovate it completely, which wasn't done, it was used only for propaganda presentations and military functions.
During the war the building was badly damaged, the cupola destroyed. When Bonn became the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Reichstag lost its significance, it was restored only provisionally and used for different functions, among others as a delivery room! When I visited...
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Advantages: Cheap and sufficient accomodation Disadvantages: Basic, a little out of the centre
...My first memory of a hotel stay involved an Ibis (the one at Euston in London) and it was an enjoyable one, so when the Ibis (pronounced ‘Eye biss’, NOT ‘Ibb iss’) in Bonn turned out to be the cheapest option for a stay in the city, I was happy to accept it.
• Booking
I made my reservation through Expedia. The price of the rooms is fixed (49 Euros / night when I went) whether you book online through any of the sites offering it, or with the hotel itself, but I went through Expedia as it meant I could earn MyPoints with the transaction.
• Getting There
The hotel is near (but not in) the center of Bonn. The nearest underground stop is Stadthaus, from which the hotel is a 10 minute walk. Various busses stop outside the hotel, but although these are fine for catching into town, I didn...
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The aim of the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Germany is to "show you what others only tell you". To achieve this aim the book has been crammed full of photographs and illustrations. There is not a single page (excluding the listings in the back) that does... more
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