Stedentrip Bonn | Duitsland

This welcoming and laid-back city located on the Rhine became West Germany’s temporary capital in 1949. Bonn, which should only be a provisional capital, however, was for more than forty years a real government city. When in 1991 the German parliament and government shift back to Berlin, most feared that the city would sink back into provincialism. Nothing further from the truth. Bonn has reinvented itself and still has a major role in Germany, since eight ministers remain in the city and its cosmopolitan openness has attracted an international cast of businesses, students, scientists and even such world organisations as the UN. Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven, has several world-class museums, including the Beethoven House Museum. The great composer was born in this house and spent most of his life there. The museum’s collection is made up by research papers and personal belongings of the composer. Everything in this city breathes the talent and personality of this amazing musician and many events are held in the city to perpetuate his memory. Also worth visiting is the Altes Rathaus, the old Town Hall, a beautiful pink Baroque building with gold and silver trimmings. Being a university town, Bonn is full of lively cafés, restaurants and pubs. It is a very attractive town with a lovely riverside setting and the nostalgic flair of the old government quarter. Bonn can be visited on an easy day trip from Cologne and is a good base to explore the Siebengebirge nature reserve and other attractions that can be found in the area.