The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region, Germany's largest metropolitan area, with over 11 million inhabitants. It is a university city and the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. Founded in the 1st century BC as a Roman settlement in the province Germania Inferior, Bonn is one of Germany's oldest cities. It was the capital city of the

Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. ...

from 1597 to 1794, and residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne. From 1949 to 1990, Bonn was the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of West Germany, and Germany's present constitution, the Basic Law, was declared in the city in 1949. The era when Bonn served as the capital of West Germany is referred to by historians as the Bonn Republic. From 1990 to 1999, Bonn served as the seat of government – but no longer capital – of reunited Germany. Due to a political compromise (

Berlin-Bonn Act The Berlin/Bonn Act (german: Berlin/Bonn-Gesetz) regulated the move of the Bundestag and parts of the government of Germany from Bonn to Berlin. It also regulated the move of certain Federal agencies and other German federal facilities to Bonn. Th ...

) following the reunification, the German federal government maintains a substantial presence in Bonn. Roughly a third of all ministerial jobs are located in Bonn , and the city is considered a second, unofficial, capital of the country. Bonn is the secondary seat of the President, the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, and the Bundesrat, and the primary seat of six federal government ministries and twenty federal authorities. The title of Federal City (german: link=no, Bundesstadt) reflects its important political status within Germany. The headquarters of Deutsche Post DHL and

Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (; short form often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a German telecommunications company that is headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. Deutsche Telekom was ...

, both

DAX Dax or DAX may refer to: Business and organizations * DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies ** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX ** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms * Dax ...

-listed corporations, are in Bonn. The city is home to the University of Bonn and a total of 20 United Nations institutions, the highest number in all of Germany. These institutions include the headquarters for Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UN Volunteers programme.

Geography

Topography

Situated in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region, Germany's largest metropolitan area with over 11 million inhabitants, Bonn lies within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the border with Rhineland-Palatinate. Spanning an area of more on both sides of the river Rhine, almost three-quarters of the city lies on the river's left bank. To the south and to the west, Bonn borders the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

region which encompasses the Rhineland Nature Park. To the north, Bonn borders the Cologne Lowland. Natural borders are constituted by the river Sieg to the north-east and by the Siebengebirge (also known as the Seven Hills) to the east. The largest extension of the city in north–south dimensions is and in west–east dimensions. The city borders have a total length of . The geographical centre of Bonn is the Bundeskanzlerplatz ''(Chancellor Square)'' in Bonn-Gronau.

Administration

The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is divided into five governmental districts (german: link=no, Regierungsbezirk), and Bonn is part of the governmental district of Cologne (german: link=no, Regierungsbezirk Köln). Within this governmental district, the city of Bonn is an

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

in its own right. The urban district of Bonn is then again divided into four administrative municipal districts (german: link=no, Stadtbezirk). These are Bonn, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Bonn-Beuel and Bonn-Hardtberg. In 1969, the independent towns of Bad Godesberg and Beuel as well as several villages were incorporated into Bonn, resulting in a city more than twice as large as before.

Climate

Bonn has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb''). In the south of the Cologne lowland in the Rhine valley, Bonn is in one of Germany's warmest regions.

History

Founding and Roman times

The history of the city dates back to Roman times. In about 12 BC, the

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval continu ...

appears to have stationed a small unit in what is presently the historical centre of the city. 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. The Eburoni were members of a large tribal coalition effectively wiped out during the final phase of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

's War in Gaul. After several decades, the army gave up the small camp linked to the Ubii-settlement. During the 1st century AD, the army then chose a site to the north of the emerging town in what is now the section of Bonn-Castell to build a large military installation dubbed

Castra In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

Bonnensis, i.e., literally, "Fort Bonn". Initially built from wood, the fort was eventually rebuilt in stone. With additions, changes and new construction, the fort remained in use by the army into the waning days of the Western Roman Empire, possibly the mid-5th century. The structures themselves remained standing well into the Middle Ages, when they were called the Bonnburg. They were used by Frankish kings until they fell into disuse. Eventually, much of the building materials seem to have been re-used in the construction of Bonn's 13th-century city wall. The Sterntor (''star gate'') in the city center is a reconstruction using the last remnants of the medieval city wall. To date, Bonn's Roman fort remains the largest fort of its type known from the ancient world, i.e. a fort built to accommodate a full-strength Imperial Legion and its auxiliaries. The fort covered an area of approximately . Between its walls it contained a dense grid of streets and a multitude of buildings, ranging from spacious headquarters and large officers' quarters to

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

s and a

military jail A military prison is a prison operated by a military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of ...

. Among the legions stationed in Bonn, the "1st", i.e. the Prima Legio Minervia, seems to have served here the longest. Units of the Bonn legion were deployed to theatres of war ranging from modern-day Algeria to what is now the Russian republic of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

The chief

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

linking the provincial capitals of Cologne and Mainz cut right through the fort where it joined the fort's main road (now, Römerstraße). Once past the South Gate, the Cologne–Mainz road continued along what are now streets named Belderberg, Adenauerallee et al. On both sides of the road, the local settlement, ''Bonna'', grew into a sizeable Roman town. Bonn is shown on the 4th century Peutinger Map. In late antiquity, much of the town seems to have been destroyed by marauding invaders. The remaining civilian population then took refuge inside the fort along with the remnants of the troops stationed here. During the final decades of Imperial rule, the troops were supplied by Franci chieftains employed by the Roman administration. When the end came, these troops simply shifted their allegiances to the new barbarian rulers, the Kingdom of the Franks. From the fort, the Bonnburg, as well as from a new medieval settlement to the South centered around what later became the minster, grew the medieval city of Bonn. Local legends arose from this period that the name of the village came from

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...

via

Vulgar Latin Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...

''*Bonnifatia'', but this proved to be a myth.

Middle Ages and Early Modern times

Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Romanesque style Bonn Minster was built, and in 1597 Bonn became the seat of the

Archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of Cologne. The city gained more influence and grew considerably. The city was subject to a major bombardment during the Siege of Bonn in 1689. Bonn was then returned to Cologne where it remained the capital at the Peace of Ryswick. The

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

Clemens August (ruled 1723–1761) ordered the construction of a series of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

buildings which still give the city its character. Another memorable ruler was Max Franz (ruled 1784–1794), who founded the university and the spa quarter of Bad Godesberg. In addition he was a patron of the young Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in Bonn in 1770; the elector financed the composer's first journey to Vienna. In 1794, the city was seized by French troops, becoming a part of the First French Empire. In 1815 following the Napoleonic Wars, Bonn became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Administered within the Prussian

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

, the city became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany. Bonn was of little relevance in these years.

20th century and the "Bonn Republic"

During the Second World War, Bonn acquired military significance because of its strategic location on the Rhine, which formed a natural barrier to easy penetration into the German heartland from the west. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Bonn on 7 March 1945, and the US 1st Infantry Division captured the city during the battle of 8–9 March 1945. After the Second World War, Bonn was in the British zone of occupation. Following the advocacy of West Germany's first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, a former Cologne Mayor and a native of that area, Bonn became the ''de facto'' capital, officially designated the "temporary seat of the Federal institutions," of the newly formed Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. However, the Bundestag, seated in Bonn's Bundeshaus, affirmed Berlin's status as the German capital. Bonn was chosen as the provisional capital and seat of government despite the fact that Frankfurt already had most of the required facilities and using Bonn was estimated to be 95 million DM more expensive than using Frankfurt. Bonn was chosen because Adenauer and other prominent politicians intended to make Berlin the capital of the reunified Germany, and they felt that locating the capital in a major city like Frankfurt or Hamburg would imply a permanent capital and even weaken support in West Germany for reunification. In 1949, the

Parliamentary Council The Parliamentary Council was a constitutional authority in Sri Lanka established under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Formally being constituted on January 1, 2011 as per the 18th Amendment, it replaces the Constitutional ...

in Bonn drafted and adopted the current German constitution, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. As the political centre of West Germany, Bonn saw six

Chancellors Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

and six Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany. Bonn's time as the capital of West Germany is commonly referred to as the Bonn Republic, in contrast to the Berlin Republic which followed reunification in 1990.

Bonn in the "Berlin Republic"

Villa Hammerschmidt Bonn Seite Adenauerallee 20080831

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

in 1990 made Berlin the nominal capital of Germany again. This decision, however, did not mandate that the republic's political institutions would also move. While some argued for the seat of government to move to Berlin, others advocated leaving it in Bonn – a situation roughly analogous to that of the Netherlands, where Amsterdam is the capital but The Hague is the seat of government. Berlin's previous history as united Germany's capital was strongly connected with the

, the Weimar Republic and more ominously with Nazi Germany. It was felt that a new peacefully united Germany should not be governed from a city connected to such overtones of war. Additionally, Bonn was closer to Brussels, headquarters of the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

. Former West German chancellor and mayor of West Berlin Willy Brandt caused considerable offence to the Western Allies during the debate by stating that France would not have kept the seat of government at Vichy after Liberation. The heated debate that resulted was settled by the '' Bundestag'' (Germany's parliament) only on 20 June 1991. By a vote of 338–320, the Bundestag voted to move the seat of government to Berlin. The vote broke largely along regional lines, with legislators from the south and west favouring Bonn and legislators from the north and east voting for Berlin. It also broke along generational lines as well; older legislators with memories of Berlin's past glory favoured Berlin, while younger legislators favoured Bonn. Ultimately, the votes of the eastern German legislators tipped the balance in favour of Berlin. From 1990 to 1999, Bonn served as the seat of government of reunited Germany. In recognition of its former status as German capital, it holds the name of Federal City (german: link=no, Bundesstadt). Bonn currently shares the status of Germany's seat of government with Berlin, with the President, the

and many government ministries (such as Food & Agriculture and Defence) maintaining large presences in Bonn. Over 8,000 of the 18,000 federal officials remain in Bonn. A total of 19 United Nations (UN) institutions operate from Bonn today.

Politics

Ashok Alexander Sridharan, Oberbürgermeister Bonn

Mayor

The current Mayor of Bonn is Katja Dörner of

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

since 2020. She defeated incumbent mayor

Ashok-Alexander Sridharan Ashok-Alexander Sridharan is a German politician of Indian and German ancestry who served as Mayor of Bonn from 2015 until 2020. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). He was the first mayor of Bonn to be of immigrant ...

in the most recent mayoral election, which was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September. The results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

, align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 48,454 , 34.5 , 52,762 , 43.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Katja Dörner , align=left,

, 38,793 , 27.6 , 67,880 , 56.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Lissi von Bülow , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

, 28,389 , 20.2 , - , , align=left, Christoph Artur Manka , align=left, Citizens' League Bonn , 8,694 , 6.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Faber , align=left, The Left , 7,032 , 5.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Werner Hümmrich , align=left,

Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...

, 4,853 , 3.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Rudolf Christian Findeiß , align=left, Die PARTEI , 2,873 , 2.0 , - , , align=left, Kaisa Ilunga , align=left, Alliance for Innovation and Justice , 1,507 , 1.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 140,595 ! 99.1 ! 120,642 ! 99.5 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,219 ! 0.9 ! 627 ! 0.5 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 141,814 ! 100.0 ! 121,269 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 249,091 ! 56.9 ! 249,098 ! 48.7 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Bonn city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. It used to be based in the Rococo-style ' (old city hall), built in 1737, located adjacent to Bonn's central market square. However, due to the enlargement of Bonn in 1969 through the incorporation of Beuel and Bad Godesberg, it moved into the larger Stadthaus facilities further north. This was necessary for the city council to accommodate an increased number of representatives. The mayor of Bonn still sits in the ', which is also used for representative and official purposes. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 39,311 , 27.9 , 9.2 , 19 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 36,315 , 25.7 , 4.7 , 17 , 10 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 21,956 , 15.6 , 7.9 , 11 , 9 , - , , align=left, Citizens' League Bonn (BBB) , 9,948 , 7.1 , 2.0 , 5 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 8,745 , 6.2 , 0.0 , 4 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(FDP) , 7,268 , 5.2 , 3.0 , 3 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Germany (Volt) , 7,148 , 5.1 , New , 3 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

(AfD) , 4,569 , 3.2 , 0.4 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , 3,095 , 2.2 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Alliance for Innovation and Justice (BIG) , 1,775 , 1.3 , 0.2 , 1 , ±0 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) , 869 , 0.6 , 1.6 , 0 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independents , 101 , 0.1 , – , 0 , – , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 141,100 ! 99.3 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,052 ! 0.7 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 142,152 ! 100.0 ! ! 66 ! 20 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 249,091 ! 57.1 ! 0.3 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Landtag election

Four delegates represent the Federal city of Bonn in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The last election took place in May 2017. The current delegates are Guido Déus ( CDU), Christos Katzidis (CDU), Joachim Stamp (FDP) and Franziska Müller-Rech (FDP).

German federal election

Bonn's

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

is called ' (096). In the

German federal election 2017 Federal elections were held in Germany on 24 September 2017 to elect the members of the 19th Bundestag. At stake were at least 598 seats in the Bundestag, as well as 111 overhang and leveling seats determined thereafter. The Christian Democr ...

Ulrich Kelber Ulrich Wolfgang Kelber (born 29 March 1968) is a German former politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information since 7 January 2019. From 2000 to 2019 ...

(SPD) was elected a member of German Federal parliament, the Bundestag by direct mandate. It is his fifth term. Katja Dörner representing Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff Alexander Sebastian Léonce, Baron von der Wenge, Count Lambsdorff (born 5 November 1966), commonly known as Alexander, Count Lambsdorff (german: Alexander Graf Lambsdorff) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party of Germany, part of t ...

for FDP were elected as well. Kelber resigned in 2019 because he was appointed

Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI, german: Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit), referring to either a person or the agency they lead, is tasked with supervising data ...

. As Dörner was elected Lord Mayor of Bonn in September 2020, she resigned as a member of parliament after her entry into office.

Culture

Beethoven's birthplace is located in Bonngasse near the market place. Next to the market place is the Old City Hall, built in 1737 in Rococo style, under the rule of Clemens August of Bavaria. It is used for receptions of guests of the city, and as an office for the mayor. Nearby is the '' Kurfürstliches Schloss'', built as a residence for the prince-elector and now the main building of the University of Bonn. Bonner Münster

The ''Poppelsdorfer Allee'' is an avenue flanked by

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

trees which had the first horsecar of the city. It connects the ''Kurfürstliches Schloss'' with the ''

Poppelsdorfer Schloss Poppelsdorf Palace (German: ''Poppelsdorfer Schloss'') is a Baroque building in the Poppelsdorf district of Bonn, western Germany, which is now part of the University of Bonn. Design and construction The design of a new structure to replace th ...

'', 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 (the

Botanischer Garten Bonn The Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (6.5 hectares open to public, 3 hectares private), also known as the Botanischer Garten Bonn, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Bonn. It is located ...

). This axis is interrupted by a railway line and

Bonn Hauptbahnhof Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for lo ...

, a building erected in 1883/84. The

Beethoven Monument The Beethoven Monument is a large bronze statue of Ludwig van Beethoven that stands on the Münsterplatz in Bonn, Beethoven's birthplace. It was unveiled on 12 August 1845, in honour of the 75th anniversary of the composer's birth. Backgr ...

stands on the Münsterplatz, which is flanked by the Bonn Minster, one of Germany's oldest churches. The three highest structures in the city are the WDR radio mast in Bonn-Venusberg (), the headquarters of the Deutsche Post called ''

Post Tower Post Tower is the headquarters of the logistic company Deutsche Post DHL with the two brands postal services for Germany ''Deutsche Post'' and the worldwide logistics company DHL. The Post Tower is a 162.5-metre, 41-storey office building in B ...

'' () and the former building for the German members of parliament ''

Langer Eugen Langer Eugen (English: "Tall Eugene") is an office tower in the Gronau district of Bonn, Germany. It was built between 1966 and 1969. Since 2006 it has housed several United Nations organizations. Until the German Bundestag (parliament) moved ...

'' () now the location of the UN Campus.

Churches

* Bonn Minster *

Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf The Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf (german: Doppelkirche St. Maria und Clemens) is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque church in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The church was once part of a Rule of St Benedict, Benedictine nunnery locate ...

built in 1151 * Old Cemetery Bonn (''Alter Friedhof''), one of the best known cemeteries in Germany * Kreuzbergkirche, built in 1627 with Johann Balthasar Neumann's ''Heilige Stiege'', it is a stairway for Christian pilgrims *

St. Remigius Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important eve ...

, where Beethoven was baptized

Castles and residences

* Godesburg fortress ruins

Modern buildings

* Beethovenhalle * Bundesviertel (federal quarter) with many government structures including **

, the tallest building in the state North Rhine-Westphalia, housing the headquarters of Deutsche Post/

DHL DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. DHL ...

** Maritim Bonn, five-star hotel and convention centre **

Schürmann-Bau The Schürmann-Bau is an office building in the Gronau district of Bonn. Its construction was completed in 2002, and it was named after its architect, Joachim Schürmann. The building houses the headquarters of Deutsche Welle, although it was orig ...

, headquarters of

Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...

** Langer Eugen, since 2006 the centre of the United Nations Campus, formerly housing the offices of the members of the German parliament *

headquarters * T-Mobile headquarters * Kameha Grand, five-star hotel

Museums

Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Bundeskunsthalle-9245

Just as Bonn's other four major museums, the ''

Haus der Geschichte Haus der Geschichte (officially ''Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland'', i.e. "House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany") is a museum of contemporary history in Bonn, Germany. With around one million visitors ever ...

'' or Museum of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany, is located on the so-called ''Museumsmeile'' ("Museum Mile")''.'' The Haus der Geschichte is one of the foremost German museums of contemporary German history, with branches in Berlin and Leipzig. In its permanent exhibition, the Haus der Geschichte presents German history from 1945 until the present, also shedding light on Bonn's own role as former capital of West Germany. Numerous temporary exhibitions emphasize different features, such as Nazism or important personalities in German history. The ''

Kunstmuseum Bonn The Kunstmuseum Bonn or Bonn Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Bonn, Germany, founded in 1947. The Kunstmuseum exhibits both temporary exhibitions and its collection. Its collection is focused on Rhenish Expressionism and post-war German ...

'' or Bonn Museum of Modern Art is an art museum founded in 1947. The Kunstmuseum exhibits both temporary exhibitions and its permanent collection. The latter is focused on Rhenish

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and post-war German art. German artists on display include

Georg Baselitz Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his subjects upside down in an effort to overcome the ...

, Joseph Beuys, Hanne Darboven,

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan hav ...

Blinky Palermo Blinky Palermo (2 June 1943 – 18 February 1977) was a German abstract painter. Early life and education Palermo was born Peter Schwarze in Leipzig, Germany, in 1943, and adopted as an infant, with his twin brother, Michael, by foster pa ...

and

Wolf Vostell Wolf Vostell (14 October 1932 – 3 April 1998) was a German painter and sculptor, considered one of the early adopters of video art and installation art and pioneer of Happenings and Fluxus. Techniques such as blurring and Dé-coll/age are ch ...

. The museum owns one of the largest collections of artwork by Expressionist painter

August Macke August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He lived during a particularly act ...

. His work is also on display in the

August-Macke-Haus The August-Macke-Haus or August Macke House is a museum in Bonn, Germany, opened in 1991, dedicated to the expressionist painter August Macke. It is located in Macke's former home, where he lived from 1911 to 1914. The museum displays reconstruct ...

, located in Macke's former home where he lived from 1911 to 1914. 2014-06-12 Museum Koenig, Bonn IMG 5509

The ''Bundeskunsthalle'' (full name: Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland or Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany), focuses on the crossroads of culture, arts, and science. To date, it attracted more than 17 million visitors. One of its main objectives is to show the

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

outside of Germany or Europe. Next to its changing exhibitions, the Bundeskunsthalle regularly hosts concerts, discussion panels, congresses, and lectures. The '' Museum Koenig'' is Bonn's natural history museum. Affiliated with the University of Bonn, it is also a zoological research institution housing the ''Leibniz-Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere''. Politically interesting, it is on the premises of the Museum Koenig where the

Parlamentarischer Rat The ''Parlamentarischer Rat'' (German for "Parliamentary Council") was the West German constituent assembly in Bonn that drafted and adopted the constitution of West Germany, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, promulgated on 23 Ma ...

first met. The ''

Deutsches Museum Bonn The Deutsches Museum Bonn is a museum with exhibits and experiments of famous scientists, engineers and inventors. Its central themes are research and technology in Germany after 1945. It is part of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. It was founded ...

'', affiliated with one of the world's foremost science museums, the Deutsches Museum in Munich, is an interactive science museum focusing on post-war German scientists, engineers, and inventions. Other museums include the

Beethoven House The Beethoven House (German: ''Beethoven-Haus'') in Bonn, Germany, is a memorial site, museum and cultural institution serving various purposes. Founded in 1889 by the Beethoven-Haus association, it studies the life and work of composer Ludwig van ...

, birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, the

Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn The Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, or LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, is a museum in Bonn, Germany, run by the Rhineland Landscape Association. It is one of the oldest museums in the country. In 2003 it completed an extensive renovation. The museum has a n ...

(Rhinish Regional Museum Bonn), the Bonn Women's Museum, the

Rheinisches Malermuseum The Rheinisches Malermuseum is an art museum in Bonn, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most popu ...

and the

Arithmeum The Arithmeum is a mathematics museum owned by the Forschungsinstitut für Diskrete Mathematik (Research Institute for Discrete Mathematics) at the University of Bonn. It was founded in 2008 by the director of the institute, Bernhard Korte, who ...

Nature

Siebengebirge schloss drachenburg ds wv 09 2008

There are several parks, leisure and protected areas in and around Bonn. The ' is Bonn's most important leisure park, with its role being comparable to what Central Park is for New York City. It lies on the banks of the Rhine and is the city's biggest park intra muros. The Rhine promenade and the ''Alter Zoll'' (Old Toll Station) are in direct neighbourhood of the city centre and are popular amongst both residents and visitors. The ''

Arboretum Park Härle The Arboretum Park Härle (4.7 hectares) is a nonprofit arboretum located on the slopes of the Rhine Valley between Bonn and the Seven Mountains at Büchelstraße 40, Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is open twice a month during the warm ...

'' is an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

with specimens dating to back to 1870. The '' Botanischer Garten'' (Botanical Garden) is affiliated with the university and it is here where Titan arum set a world record. The natural reserve of '' Kottenforst'' is a large area of protected woods on the hills west of the city centre. It is about in area and part of the Rhineland Nature Park (). In the very south of the city, on the border with

Wachtberg Wachtberg is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km south of Bonn. In 2021 the Wachtberg municipality had approximately 20,352 inhabitants. The municipality was form ...

and Rhineland-Palatinate, there is an extinct volcano, the

Rodderberg The Rodderberg is an extinct volcano in the east of the municipality of Wachtberg near Bonn, Germany. The last eruption was 250,000 years ago. It is situated just above the Rhine Valley. Together with the Drachenfels directly opposite, the ...

, featuring a popular area for hikes. Also south of the city, there is the Siebengebirge which is part of the lower half of the Middle Rhine region. The nearby upper half of the Middle Rhine from Bingen to

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 40 castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages and important German vineyards.

Transportation

Air traffic

Named after Konrad Adenauer, the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany, Cologne Bonn Airport is situated north-east from the city centre of Bonn. With around 10.3 million passengers passing through it in 2015, it is the seventh-largest passenger airport in Germany and the third-largest in terms of cargo operations. By traffic units, which combines cargo and passengers, the airport is in fifth position in Germany. As of March 2015, Cologne Bonn Airport had services to 115 passenger destinations in 35 countries. The airport is one of Germany's few 24-hour airports, and is a hub for Eurowings and cargo operators FedEx Express and UPS Airlines. The federal motorway (''Autobahn'') A59 connects the airport with the city. Long distance and regional trains to and from the airport stop at Cologne/Bonn Airport station. Another major airport within a one-hour drive by car is Düsseldorf International Airport.

Rail and bus system

2008-07-28 U-Bahnhof Hauptbahnhof (Bonn)

Bonn's central railway station,

is the city's main public transportation hub. It lies just outside the old town and near the central university buildings. It is served by regional ( S-Bahn and Regionalbahn) and long-distance ( IC and ICE) trains. Daily, more than 67,000 people travel via Bonn Hauptbahnhof. In late 2016, around 80 long distance and more than 165 regional trains departed to or from Bonn every day. Another long-distance station, ( Siegburg/Bonn), is located in the nearby town of Siegburg and serves as Bonn's station on the high-speed rail line between Cologne and Frankfurt, offering faster connections to Southern Germany. It can be reached by Stadtbahn line 66 (approx. 25 minutes from central Bonn). Bonn has a Stadtbahn light rail and a tram system. The Bonn Stadtbahn has 4 regular lines that connect the main north–south axis (centre to Bad Godesberg) and quarters east of the Rhine (

Beuel Beuel ( Ripuarian: ''Büel'') is a city borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, Germany. It has a population of 67,827 (2020). Subdivisions Beuel is composed of the sub-districts Beuel-Mitte, Beuel-Ost, Geislar, Hoholz, Holtorf, Holzlar, Küdinghove ...

and Oberkassel), as well as many nearby towns like Brühl,

Wesseling Wesseling () is an industrial German city on the Rhine bordering Cologne city on the south. With three chemical plants and a petroleum refinery within its city limits, it has an important place in the international petrochemical industry. Histor ...

, Sankt Augustin, Siegburg, Königswinter, and Bad Honnef. All lines serve the Central Station and two lines continue to Cologne, where they connect to the Cologne Stadtbahn. The Bonn tram system consists of two lines that connect closer quarters in the south, north and east of Bonn to the Central Station. While the Stadtbahn mostly has its own right-of-way, the tram often operates on general road lanes. A few sections of track are used by both systems. These urban rail lines are supplemented by a bus system of roughly 30 regular lines, especially since some parts of the city like

Hardtberg Hardtberg ( Ripuarian: ''Hardtbersch'') is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, Germany. It has a population of 34,576 (2018). Twin towns – sister cities Hardtberg is twinned with: * Villemomble Villemomble () is a commune in the eastern ...

and most of Bad Godesberg completely lack a Stadtbahn/Tram connection. Several lines offer night services, especially during the weekends. Bonn is part of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (''Rhine-Sieg Transport Association'') which is the public transport association covering the area of the

Cologne/Bonn Region The Cologne Bonn Region (German: ''Region Köln/Bonn'') is a metropolitan area in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, covering the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Leverkusen, as well as the districts of Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Oberbergischer K ...

Road network

Four Autobahns run through or are adjacent to Bonn: the A59 (right bank of the Rhine, connecting Bonn with Düsseldorf and Duisburg), the A555 (left bank of the Rhine, connecting Bonn with Cologne), the A562 (connecting the right with the left bank of the Rhine south of Bonn), and the A565 (connecting the A59 and the A555 with the A61 to the southwest). Three Bundesstraßen, which have a general speed limit in contrast to the Autobahn, connect Bonn to its immediate surroundings (Bundesstraßen B9, B42 and B56). With Bonn being divided into two parts by the Rhine, three bridges are crucial for inner-city road traffic: the Konrad-Adenauer-Brücke (A562) in the South, the Friedrich-Ebert-Brücke (A565) in the North, and the Kennedybrücke (B56) in the Centre. In addition, regular ferries operate between Bonn-Mehlem and Königswinter, Bonn- Bad Godesberg and Königswinter- Niederdollendorf, and Bonn-Graurheindorf and

Niederkassel Niederkassel ( Ripuarian: ''Neddekaaßel'') is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of around 37,000 people. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. north-east of Bonn and south ...

-Mondorf.

Port

Located in the northern sub-district of Graurheindorf, the inland harbour of Bonn is used for container traffic as well as oversea transport. The annual turnover amounts to around . Regular passenger transport occurs to Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Economy

The head offices of

, its subsidiary T-Mobile, Deutsche Post, German Academic Exchange Service, and

SolarWorld SolarWorld is a German company dedicated to the manufacture and marketing photovoltaic products worldwide by integrating all components of the solar value chain, from feedstock (polysilicon) to module production, from trade with solar panels to ...

are in Bonn. The third largest employer in the city of Bonn is the University of Bonn (including the university clinics) and Stadtwerke Bonn also follows as a major employer. On the other hand, there are several traditional, nationally known private companies in Bonn such as luxury food producers

Verpoorten Verpoorten GmbH & Co. KG is a producer of advocaat (egg liqueur). Eugen Verpoorten founded the company in 1876 in Heinsberg, Germany. The distiller from Antwerp opened the "Liquor Factory & Colonial Goods of H. Verpoorten" on Heinsberg's High ...

and Kessko, the Klais organ manufacture and the Bonn flag factory. The largest confectionery manufacturer in Europe,

Haribo Haribo ( ) is a German confectionery company founded by Hans Riegel Sr.. It began in Kessenich, Bonn, Germany. The name "Haribo" is a syllabic abbreviation formed from Hans Riegel Bonn. The company created the first gummy candy in 1960 in the for ...

, has its founding headquarters (founded in 1922) and a production site in Bonn. Today the company is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate municipality of

Grafschaft A ''Grafschaft'' was originally the name given to the administrative area in the Holy Roman Empire over which a count, or ''Graf'', presided as judge. It is often, therefore, translated as 'county'. The term has survived as a placename in German- ...

. Other companies of supraregional importance are Weck Glaswerke (production site),

Fairtrade A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa, As ...

Eaton Industries Eaton may refer to: Buildings Canada * Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls in Canada due to having been anchored by an Eaton's store * Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto * Eaton Hall (King City), a confere ...

(formerly Klöckner & Moeller),

IVG Immobilien IVG Immobilien (formerly known as IndustrieVerwaltungsGesellschaft mbH) is a German real estate company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is a leading commercial property owner in Germany and other European countries. Activities The core busi ...

Kautex Textron Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engine ...

, Vapiano and the SER Group.

Education

The Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms Universität Bonn ( University of Bonn) is one of the largest universities in Germany. It is also the location of the German research institute Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) offices and of the German Academic Exchange Service (''Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst'' – DAAD).

Private schools

Aloisiuskolleg The Aloisiuskolleg is a co-educational, Jesuit (Catholic), University-preparatory school in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany, which includes boarders. It is named for Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Highly ranked academically, it is considered one of the m ...

, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

private school in Bad Godesberg with boarding facilities * Amos-Comenius-Gymnasium, a Protestant private school in Bad Godesberg *

Bonn International School Bonn International School (BIS) is a private international school based in Bonn, Germany. It is a non-profit organization, and is managed by a board of trustees. Members of the board include BIS faculty, as well as parents of students studying at ...

(BIS), a private English-speaking school set in the former American Compound in the Rheinaue, which offers places from kindergarten to 12th grade. It follows the curriculum of the International Baccalaureate. * Libysch Schule, private Arabic high school *

Independent Bonn International School Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) is the oldest international school located in Bonn, Germany. History IBIS was founded in 1963 by a group of parents and for many years was called the British Embassy Preparatory School (BEPS). When man ...

, (IBIS) private primary school (serving from kindergarten, reception, and years 1 to 6) *

École de Gaulle - Adenauer École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Sav ...

, private French-speaking school serving grades pre-school ("maternelle") to grade 4 (CM1) *

Kardinal-Frings-Gymnasium , motto_translation = Sent for the people , streetaddress = Elsa-Brändström-Straße 71–91 , city = Bonn-Beuel , state = , province = North Rhine-Westphalia , country = Germany , coordinates = , schooltype = , type = Private gymnasium ...

(''KFG''), private catholic school of the Archdiocese of Cologne in

* Liebfrauenschule (''LFS''), private catholic school of the Archdiocese of Cologne * , private catholic school of the Archdiocese of Cologne in Beuel * , private Catholic school of the Archdiocese of Cologne in Bad Godesberg * , private boarding and day school in Oberkassel * ("PÄDA"), private day school in Bad Godesberg * ("CoJoBo"), private catholic day school * Akademie für Internationale Bildung, private higher educational facility offering programs for international students ; Former * King Fahd Academy, private Islamic school in Bad Godesberg

Demographics

, Bonn had a population of 327,913. About 70% of the population was entirely of German origin, while about 100,000 people, equating to roughly 30%, were at least partly of non-German origin. The city is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Germany and the 18th most populous city in the country. Bonn's population is predicted to surpass the populations of Wuppertal and

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

before the year 2030. The following list shows the largest groups of origin of minorites with "migration background" in Bonn . Bonn DTAG2

Sports

Bonn is home of the Telekom Baskets Bonn, the only basketball club in Germany that owns its arena, the

Telekom Dome Telekom Dome is an indoor sporting arena that is located in Bonn, Germany. The seating capacity of the arena for basketball games is 6,000 spectators. History Telekom Dome opened in 2008. It has been used as the home arena of the professional ...

. The club is a regular participant at international competitions such as the Basketball Champions League. The city also has a semi-professional football team Bonner SC which was formed in 1965 through the merger of ''Bonner FV'' and ''Tura Bonn''. The Bonn Gamecocks American football team play at the 12,000-capacity Stadion Pennenfeld. The headquarters of the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

has been located in Bonn since 1999. The successful German Baseball Team Bonn Capitals are also found in the city of Bonn.

International relations

Since 1983, the City of Bonn has established friendship relations with the City of Tel Aviv, Israel, and since 1988 Bonn, in former times the residence of the Princes Electors of Cologne, and Potsdam, Germany, the formerly most important residential city of the Prussian rulers, have established a city-to-city partnership. Central Bonn is surrounded by a number of traditional towns and villages which were independent up to several decades ago. As many of those communities had already established their own contacts and partnerships before the regional and local reorganisation in 1969, the Federal City of Bonn now has a dense network of city district partnerships with European partner towns. The city district of Bonn is a partner of the English university city of Oxford, England, UK (since 1947), of Budafok, District XXII of Budapest, Hungary (since 1991) and of

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...

, Poland (officially since 1997; contacts were established 1954). The district of Bad Godesberg has established partnerships with Saint-Cloud in France, Frascati in Italy, Windsor and Maidenhead in England, UK and Kortrijk in Belgium; a friendship agreement has been signed with the town of Yalova, Turkey. The district of Beuel on the right bank of the Rhine and the city district of Hardtberg foster partnerships with towns in France: Mirecourt and Villemomble. Moreover, the city of Bonn has developed a concept of international co-operation and maintains sustainability oriented project partnerships in addition to traditional city twinning, among others with Minsk in Belarus, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia,

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

in Uzbekistan,

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

in China and

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

in Bolivia.

Twin towns – sister cities

Bonn is twinned with: *

, Uzbekistan (1999) *

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

, Ghana (2012) *

, China (2009) * Minsk, Belarus (1993) *

, Bolivia (1996) * Potsdam, Germany (1988) * Tel Aviv, Israel (1983) * Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (1993) Bonn city district is twinned with: * Oxford, United Kingdom (1947) * Budafok-Tétény (Budapest), Hungary (1991) For twin towns of other city districts, see Bad Godesberg,

and

Notable people

Up to the 19th century

Johann Peter Salomon Johann Peter Salomon (20 February 1745 aptized– 28 November 1815) was a German violinist, composer, conductor and musical impresario. Although he was an accomplished violinist, he is best known for bringing Joseph Haydn to London and for c ...

(1745–1815), musician * Franz Anton Ries (1755–1846), violinist and violin teacher * Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer *

Salomon Oppenheim, Jr. Salomon Oppenheim, Jr. (19 June 1772 – 8 November 1828) was a German Jewish banker, and the founder of the Sal. Oppenheim private bank. He was born in Bonn, the scion of an illustrious family of "Court Jews" (german: Hofjuden) who had serve ...

(1772–1828), banker * Peter Joseph Lenné (1789–1866), gardener and landscape architect *

Friedrich von Gerolt Friedrich Karl Joseph Freiherr von Gerolt (5 March 1797 Bonn - 27 July 1879 Linz am Rhein) was Prussian Privy Councillor, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in the United States. Family Gerolt was born the son of the German jurist a ...

(1797–1879), diplomat * Karl Joseph Simrock (1802–1876), writer and specialist in German *

Wilhelm Neuland Wilhelm Neuland (14 July 1806 – 28 December 1889) was a German musician and composer of the Romantic era, with activities mainly in Bonn (Germany), London (UK) and Calais (France). Life Neuland was born in Bonn, the son of a tailor named Johann ...

(1806–1889), composer and conductor *

Johanna Kinkel Johanna Kinkel (8 July 1810 – 15 November 1858), born Maria Johanna Mockel, was a German composer, writer, pedagogue, and revolutionary. Biography Kinkel was born in Bonn to Catholic parents Marianna and Peter Joseph Mockel, a school teacher ...

(1810–1858), composer and writer *

Moses Hess Moses (Moritz) Hess (21 January 1812 – 6 April 1875) was a German-Jewish philosopher, early communist and Zionist thinker. His socialist theories led to disagreements with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He is considered a pioneer of Labor Zion ...

(1812–1875), philosopher and writer * Johann Gottfried Kinkel (1815–1882), theologian, writer, and politician *

Alexander Kaufmann Alexander Kaufmann (14 May 1817 – 1 May 1893) was a German poet and folklorist from Bonn. Biography Kaufmann came from a prominent local family, whose members had served in both the city government and service of the former Elector of Co ...

(1817–1893), author and archivist *

Leopold Kaufmann Leopold Ernst Kaufmann (13 March 1821 – 27 February 1898) was a German politician. Brother of the poet and folklorist Alexander Kaufmann, he became Chief Burgomaster of Bonn. Life 1840s-1850s With his brother Alexander, he attended the grammar ...

(1821–1898), mayor * Julius von Haast (1822–1887), New Zealand, professor of geology *

Dietrich Brandis Sir Dietrich Brandis (31 March 1824 – 28 May 1907) was a German-British botanist and forestry academic and administrator, who worked with the British Imperial Forestry Service in colonial India for nearly 30 years. He joined the British civil ...

(1824–1907), botanist *

Balduin Möllhausen Heinrich Balduin Möllhausen (27 January 1825—28 May 1905) was a German writer, traveler and artist who visited the United States and participated in three separate expeditions exploring the American frontier. After his travel he became a popular ...

(1825–1905), traveler and writer *

Maurus Wolter Maurus Wolter (4 June 1825, in Bonn – 8 July 1890, in Beuron) was the first abbot of the Benedictine Beuron Archabbey, which he founded with his brother Placidus in 1863. William M. Johnston ''Encyclopedia of Monasticism'' (2000, ), pp. 1440-14 ...

(1825–1890), Benedictine, founder and first abbot of the Abbey of Beuron and Beuronese Congregation *

August Reifferscheid Karl Wilhelm August Reifferscheid (3 October 1835 – 10 November 1887) was a German archaeologist and classical philologist. Biography He was born and educated in Bonn. He received a traveling fellowship in archaeology from the University of Bon ...

(1835–1887), philologist * Antonius Maria Bodewig (1839–1915), Jesuit missionary and founder * Nathan Zuntz (1847–1920), physician * Alexander Koenig (1858–1940), zoologist, founder of Museum Koenig in Bonn *

Alfred Philippson Alfred Philippson (1 January 1864 – 28 March 1953) was a German geologist and geographer. He was born at Bonn, son of Ludwig Philippson. He received his education at the gymnasium and university of his native town and at the University of Leipz ...

(1864–1953), geographer *

Johanna Elberskirchen Johanna Elberskirchen (11 April 1864 in Bonn – 17 May 1943 in Rüdersdorf) was a feminist writer and activist for the rights of women, gays and lesbians as well as blue-collar workers. She published books on women's sexuality and health among oth ...

(1864–1943), writer and activist *

Max Alsberg Max Alsberg (16 October 1877 – 11 September 1933) was a famous criminal lawyer of the Weimar Republic. Alsberg worked primarily as a criminal defense lawyer; he defended Karl Helfferich in 1920 and Carl von Ossietzky Carl von Ossietzky ( ...

(1877–1933), lawyer * Kurt Wolff (1887–1963), publisher * Hans Riegel Sr. (1893–1945), entrepreneur *

Eduard Krebsbach Eduard Krebsbach (8 August 1894 – 28 May 1947) was a former German physician and SS doctor in the Nazi concentration camp in Mauthausen from July 1941 to August 1943. He was executed for atrocities committed at the Mauthausen camp. Concentra ...

(1894–1947), SS doctor in Nazi Mauthausen concentration camp, executed for war crimes * Paul Kemp (1896–1953), actor

20th century

1900–1950

Hermann Josef Abs Hermann Josef Abs (born 15 October 1901 in Bonn – died 5 February 1994 in Bad Soden) was a leading German banker and advisor to Chancellor Adenauer. He was a member of the board of directors of Deutsche Bank from 1938 to 1945, as well as of 44 ...

(1901–1994), board member of the Deutsche Bank *

Paul Ludwig Landsberg Paul-Louis Landsberg (3 December 1901 – 2 April 1944) was a twentieth century Existentialist philosopher who is known for his works ''The Experience of Death'' and ''The Moral Problem of Suicide''. Landsberg lectured at the Universities of Bonn, ...

(1901–1944), in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, philosopher * Heinrich Lützeler (1902–1988), philosopher, art historian, and literary scholar *

Helmut Horten Helmut Horten (8 January 1909 Bonn – 30 November 1987, Croglio, Switzerland) was a German entrepreneur who built up and owned the fourth-largest chain of department stores in Germany: the Horten AG. Early life Helmut Horten was born on Janua ...

(1909–1987), entrepreneur *

Theodor Schieffer Theodor Schieffer (11 June 1910 in Bad Godesberg – 9 April 1992 in Bad Godesberg) was a German historian. He was professor of medieval history at the University of Mainz, then at the University of Cologne, and since 1952 he was president of th ...

(1910–1992), historian and medievalist *

Irene Sänger-Bredt Irene Reinhild Agnes Elisabeth Sänger-Bredt (24 April 1911 – 20 October 1983) was a German engineer, mathematician and physicist. She is co-credited with the design of a proposed intercontinental spaceplane/bomber prior to and during World ...

(1911–1983), mathematician and physicist *

Ernst Friedrich Schumacher Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (16 August 1911 – 4 September 1977) was a German-British statistician and economist who is best known for his proposals for human-scale, Decentralization, decentralised and appropriate technology, appropriate techn ...

(1911–1977), economist * Klaus Barbie (1913–1991), Nazi SS and Gestapo war criminal, the "Butcher of Lyon" *

Karl-Theodor Molinari __NOTOC__ Karl-Theodor Molinari (7 February 1915 – 11 December 1993) was an officer in the German Army and later in the Bundeswehr. He resigned in 1970 with the rank of a Generalmajor after it became public that he had possibly been involved in ...

(1915–1993), General and founding chairman of the German Armed Forces Association * Karlrobert Kreiten (1916–1943), pianist *

Hans Walter Zech-Nenntwich Hans Walter Zech‐Nenntwich (10 July 1916 – after 1964) was a member of the SS who defected to the United Kingdom after being imprisoned in 1943. After World War II he was convicted of war crimes and temporarily fled Germany before retur ...

(born 1916), Second Polish Republic, SS Cavalry member and war criminal * Walther Killy (1917–1985), German literary scholar, ''Der Killy'' * Hannjo Hasse (1921–1983), actor * Walter Gotell (1924–1997), actor * Walter Eschweiler (born 1935), football referee *

Alexandra Cordes Alexandra Cordes (real name Ursula Horbach, née Schaake, 16 November 1935 – November 1986) was a prolific German writer of mainly romantic fiction, many of whose books were best-sellers. Life Ursula Schaake was born in Bonn, Germany, of H ...

(1935–1986), writer * Joachim Bißmeier (born 1936), actor *

Roswitha Esser Roswitha Esser (; born 18 January 1941 in Bad Godesberg) is a West German sprint canoeist who competed from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, she won two gold medals in the K-2 500 m event (1964, ...

(born 1941), canoeist, gold medal winner at the Olympic Games in 1964 and 1968, Sportswoman of the Year 1964 *

Heide Simonis Heide Simonis (; born 4 July 1943 in Bonn as Heide Steinhardt) is a German Author and Politician. She is a member of the SPD. From 1993 to 2005 she served as the Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to serve as head ...

(born 1943), politician (SPD), former Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, since 2005 honorary chairman of UNICEF Germany *

Paul Alger Paul Alger (born 13 August 1943 in Bonn) is a former German footballer. Between 1966 and 1968, Alger played for 1. FC Köln. In 1968, he helped Köln to a victory of the DFB-Pokal after being substituted in the 46th minute. Honours * DFB-Pokal ...

(born 1943), football player *

Johannes Mötsch Johannes Mötsch (born 8 July 1949 in Bonn) is a German archivist and historian. Life Johannes Mötsch studied History and Latin Philology from 1970 to 1978 at the Universität Bonn and graduated in 1979. In 1978 he started, as trainee teacher, ...

(born 1949), archivist and historian * Klaus Ludwig (born 1949), race car driver

1951 to present

Günter Ollenschläger Günter Ollenschläger (born 3 March 1951 in Bonn) is a German physician, medical editor, and á former professor of internal medicine and clinical decision making at the University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine. Biography Ollenschläger is a ...

(born 1951), medical and science journalist * Hans "Hannes" Bongartz (born 1951), football player and coach *

Christa Goetsch Christa Goetsch (born 28 August 1952 in Bonn) is a German politician of the Alliance '90/The Greens party, member of the Hamburg Parliament, and from 2008-2010 was a Senator and Deputy Mayor of Hamburg. Early life and career Goetsch finished her ...

(born 1952), politician (Alliance '90 / The Greens) *

Michael Meert Michael Meert (born 1953 in Bonn, Germany) is a German film author and director. He is the grandson of the Flemish politician and writer Leo Meert and the bohemian violinist Stephanie Prinz. Life and work From 1976 to 1981 Michael Meert studied ...

(born 1953), film author and director *

Thomas de Maizière Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière (; born 21 January 1954) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Federal Minister of the Interior from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2018, as well as Federal Minister of Defence f ...

(born 1954), politician (CDU), former Minister of Defense and of the Interior *

Gerd Faltings Gerd Faltings (; born 28 July 1954) is a German mathematician known for his work in arithmetic geometry. Education From 1972 to 1978, Faltings studied mathematics and physics at the University of Münster. In 1978 he received his PhD in mathema ...

(born 1954), mathematician,

Fields Medal The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award ho ...

winner *

Olaf Manthey Olaf Manthey (born 21 April 1955 in Bonn) is a German former race car driver, and current owner of Porsche team Manthey Racing. Manthey's career as a driver began in 1974. In the 1980s, he won two races of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. Re ...

(born 1955), former touring car racing driver *

Michael Kühnen Michael Kühnen (21 June, 1955 – 25 April, 1991) was a leader in the German neo-Nazi movement. He was one of the first post-World War II Germans to openly embrace Nazism and call for the formation of a Fourth Reich. He enacted a policy of sett ...

(1955–1991), Neo-Nazi * Roger Willemsen (1955–2016), publicist, author, essayist, and presenter *

Norman Rentrop Norman Rentrop (born 1957 in Bonn) is a German billionaire, publisher, author and investor. A self-confessed admirer of Warren Buffett and longstanding shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, he is owner/shareholder of the German - based "Rentrop publi ...

(born 1957), publisher, author, and investor *

Markus Maria Profitlich Markus Maria Profitlich (born 25 March 1960 in Bonn) is a German comedian, actor and voice actor who was a cast member of '' Die Wochenshow'' between 1999 and 2001. He also hosted his own show, '' Mensch Markus'', from 2002 to 2007. Biography ...

(born 1960), comedian and actor *

Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle (; 27 December 1961 – 18 March 2016) was a German politician who served as Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person ...

(1961–2016), politician (FDP), Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011 *

Mathias Dopfner Mathias, a given name and a surname which is a variant of Matthew (name), may refer to: Places * Mathias, West Virginia * Mathias Township, Michigan People with the given name or surname ''Mathias'' In music * Mathias Eick, Norwegian Jazz Musici ...

(born 1963), chief executive officer of Axel Springer AG * Nikolaus Blome (born 1963), journalist * Maxim Kontsevich (born 1964), mathematician,

winner * Johannes B. Kerner (born 1964), TV presenter, Abitur at the

, and studied in Bonn * Anthony Baffoe (born 1965), football player, sports presenter, and actor *

Sonja Zietlow Sonja Zietlow (born 13 May 1968) is a German television presenter. Biography Zietlow was born in Bonn. After she graduated from school and before her media career began in 1993, she worked as first officer for the German airline Lufthansa. W ...

(born 1968), TV presenter *

Burkhard Garweg The Red Army Faction (RAF) existed in West Germany from 1970 to 1998, committing numerous crimes, especially in the autumn of 1977, which led to a national crisis that became known as the "German Autumn". The RAF was founded in 1970 by Andreas ...

(born 1968), member of the Red Army Faction *

Sabriye Tenberken Sabriye Tenberken (born 1970) is a German tibetologist and co-founder of the organisation Braille Without Borders. Biography Sabriye was born in Cologne, West Germany. She lost her sight slowly as a child due to retinitis pigmentosa, and her ...

(born 1970), Tibetologist, founder of

Braille Without Borders Braille Without Borders (BWB) is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet, by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998. Overview BWB's mission is to give hope and practical skil ...

* Thorsten Libotte (born 1972), writer *

Tamara Gräfin von Nayhauß Countess Tamara von Nayhauss (german: Tamara Gräfin von Nayhauß) (born 23 July 1972) is a German television presenter, blogger, and socialite. Early life and education Von Nayhauss was born on 23 July 1972 in Bonn to Count Mainhardt von Nay ...

(born 1972), television presenter * Silke Bodenbender (born 1974), actress *

Juli Zeh Juli Zeh (, Julia Barbara Finck, née Zeh; born 30 June 1974 in Bonn) is a German writer and former judge. Biography Her first book was ''Adler und Engel'' (translated into English as ''Eagles and Angels'' by Christine Slenczka), which won the ...

(born 1974), writer *

Oliver Mintzlaff Oliver Mintzlaff (born 19 August 1975) is a Germans, German association football, football official, Red Bull GmbH Global Head of Soccer, and a former long-distance runner. Career Running Oliver Mintzlaff participated twice in the half mara ...

(born 1975), track and field athlete and sports manager, CEO of RB Leipzig * Markus Dieckmann (born 1976), beach volleyball player *

Bernadette Heerwagen Bernadette Heerwagen (born 22 June 1977) is a German actress. She began acting at the age of 16, and has since co-starred in the 1999 production '' Der Schandfleck'', for which she was awarded the Bayerischer Fernsehpreis Sonderpreis in 2000. S ...

(born 1977), actress * Melanie Amann (born 1978), journalist *

Bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

(born 1978), musician and rapper *

Sebastian Stahl Sebastian Stahl (born 20 September 1978) is a German racing driver. He is the stepbrother of former Formula One drivers Ralf Schumacher and seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. Stahl raced in the VLN endurance series at th ...

(born 1978), race car driver *

Sonja Fuss Sonja Beate Fuss (born 5 November 1978) is a German football defender. She played for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Germany national team. She has played in the German Frauen-Bundesliga since 1992. ...

(born 1978), football player *

DJ Manian Manuel Reuter (born 7 July 1978), better known by his stage name DJ Manian or just Manian, is a German music producer, DJ and owner of Zooland Records label. Career DJ Manian was born in 1978 in Bonn, Germany. He has produced a number of sin ...

DJ of Cascada (born 1978) owner of Zooland Records *

Andreas Tölzer Andreas Tölzer (also spelled Toelzer; born 27 January 1980) is a German judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百� ...

(born 1980), judoka *

Jens Hartwig Jens Hartwig (born April 16, 1980) is a German actor. Jens completed successfully his education as in actor in the Center for Film and Television in Cologne. He appeared first in a secondary role as Georg Kramer in the feature film ''Eine indiskr ...

(born 1980), actor * Natalie Horler (born 1981), front woman of the Dance Project Cascada * Marcel Ndjeng (born 1982), football player *

Marc Zwiebler Marc Zwiebler () (born 13 March 1984) is a badminton player from Germany. His highest ranking is 10 in the world. He is a seven-time German national champion in men's singles. He won gold at the 2012 European Championships in Karlskrona over H ...

(born 1984), badminton player *

Benjamin Barg Benjamin Barg (born 15 September 1984) is a German footballer who plays for FC 08 Villingen. He is the brother of Thorsten Barg. He was in the squad of Karlsruher SC in the 2007-08 Bundesliga, but he had no appearance. After this he switched t ...

(born 1984), football player *

Alexandros Margaritis Alexandros "Alex" Margaritis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Μαργαρίτης; born 20 September 1984) is a Greek-German racing driver who is best known for competing in the German-based Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters touring car championship. Prior ...

(born 1984), race car driver *

Ken Miyao Overground was a boy band from Germany. The original group comprised singers Akay Kayed, Ken Miyao, Marq Porciuncula and Meiko Reißmann. Created through the ProSieben talent show '' Popstars – Das Duell'' (2003) in which pop groups of both ...

(born 1986), pop singer * Felix Reda (born 1986), politician * Peter Scholze (born 1987), mathematician,

winner * Célia Okoyino da Mbabi (born 1988), football player * Luke Mockridge (born 1989), comedian and author * Pius Heinz (born 1989), poker player, 2011

WSOP The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...

Main Event champion *

Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann (born 20 February 1990) is a German professional basketball player for the Hamburg Towers of the Basketball Bundesliga. Professional career In June 2013, he signed a 3-year deal with the German powerhouse Alba Berlin. ...

(born 1990), basketball player *

Levina Levina is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Elizaveta Levina, Russian-American statistician * Olga Levina (disambiguation), multiple people ** Olga Levina (handballer), (born 1985), Russian handball p ...

(born 1991), singer *

Bienvenue Basala-Mazana Bienvenue Basala-Mazana (born 2 January 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Club career Basala-Mazana won the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with the Germany U17 national team. In January 2020, he r ...

(born 1992), football player * Annika Beck (born 1994), tennis player *

James Hyndman James Duncan Hyndman, CBE (July 29, 1874 – October 11, 1971) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, and judge. He served as a municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta, and was the youngest person ever appointed to the Supreme Court of Alberta. Ea ...

(born 1962), stage actor *

Konstanze Klosterhalfen Konstanze "Koko" Klosterhalfen (born 18 February 1997) is a German middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist and 2022 European champion in the 5000 metres, becoming the first German winner of the ev ...

(born 1997), track and field athlete

21st century

* Anny Ogrezeanu (born 2001), singer and '' The Voice of Germany'' winner 2022

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website

Tourist information

{{Authority control Former national capitals Populated places on the Rhine Roman towns and cities in Germany 10s BC establishments in the Roman Empire Roman legionary fortresses in Germany Roman fortifications in Germania Inferior