Bonn, Germany

Bonn is the 19th biggest city in Germany with almost 319,000 residents.  It is 24 km (15 miles) southwest of Köln and just over an hour from Düsseldorf.  About 3/4 of the city is on the left bank of the Rhine River.

While not the biggest city in the country it is one of the most important.  From 1949 to 1990, it was the capital of West Germany before reunification.  Then until 1999 it served as the seat of the government.

While Berlin is Germany's capital, Bonn is still the de facto joint seat of the government.  The secondary seats of the Chancellor, the President, and the Federal Council plus, the the primary seats of six federal ministries and 20 federal authorities are all still here.  Bonn holds the title of Federal City.

Here's a DW video I found on YouTube about Bonn's place now with Berlin.

©Deutsche Welle

UN building

Bonn was founded as a Roman settlement in the 1st century BC making it one of the oldest cities in Germany.  Today, it is home the corporate headquarters of several top companies and 19 United Nations institutions.

Deutsche Welle has its headquarters here too.  DW is Germans's public international broadcaster since 1953.  It reaches 100 million people each week, worldwide, in 30 languages.  

Beethoven was born here.  The Beethoven monument at Münsterplatz was unveiled in 1845 in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of his birth.

The Beethoven House, where he was born, was founded in 1889 and is now a museum.

The Sterntor is a reconstructed gate on the remnants of the city's medieval wall.  It was originally build around 1244.  The Old Town Hall was built in 1737 and is located at the central market square.

The Bonn Minster was built between the 11th and 13th centuries.  It is one of Germany's oldest churches and is now a Roman Catholic minor basilica.

Villa Hammerschmidt was completed in 1860.  From 1950 to 1994 it was the official primary residence of the President of Germany.  Today it is the secondary residence.

The Deutsches Museum Bonn is fascinating.  It's a history museum that was founded in 1995.

The Museum Koenig is the city's natural history museum.

The Old Cemetery was established back in 1715.  It is 1,2 hectares (3 acres) of green space in the city centre.

The city is still politically relevant.  As I was heading back to the train station I came across a pro-EU rally at the market square.  Quite interesting and Bonn is an excellent day trip destination.