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Haus der Geschichte in Bonn
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Haus der Geschichte or “House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany” is part of the Museumsmeile and displays more than 7000 exhibits all relating Germany’s past. Unlike other museums Haus der Geschichte makes history interesting. It presents Germany’s history in such a way that it rouses the interest of even small children.
Historical objects, artifacts, historical films, photos, caricatures, a cartoon gallery, works of German history, tonal documents and busts are just few of the items included in the display. You can check them all out in this modern museum. Germany’s culture, society, economic and political state from post 1945 to the present is represented here.
A congratulatory letter from former US president Bill Clinton also adorns one of its walls. Helmuth Ellgaard finds a large amount of mention in the exhibits. An authentic railway saloon car and parts of the Berlin Wall are the most popular exhibits of his.
Architects Ingeborg and Hartmut Rüdiger from Braunschweig are responsible for the building’s structure which is as large as 22,000 square meters. The museum’s objective is not just to display historical objects but to make its visitors actually experience the past and to fulfill this purpose it organizes a number of events and conventions. It even organizes tours of the Palais Schaumburg, the Chancellor’s bungalow and the former place of the Federal Assembly
It is located north of the Kunstmuseum Bonn and the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland and is not very difficult to reach due to its eminence.
Timings are from 09:00am to 07:00pm, from Tuesday to Friday and from 10:00 am to 08:00 am on Saturdays and Sundays.
Visiting the iconic Bonn Minster
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Germany houses a vast and varied collection of beautiful and sacred churches and one of the oldest here is the Bonn Minster whose construction dates back to between the 11th and 13th centuries and which happens to be one of the most important landmarks of the city of Bonn. At one point the church served as the cathedral for the Archbishopric of Cologne, but now it is a Papal basilica. The front face of the church bears sculptures depicting the heads of Saints Cassius & Florentius, who were Roman legionaries of the legendary all-Christian Theban Legion. Earlier, this Minster happened to be the collegiate church of Saints Cassius and Florentius. According to a legend, Saints Cassius and Florentius, who were under the command of Saint Gereon, were beheaded for their religious beliefs at the present location of the Bonn Minster.
In the 13th century, the Romanic body of the Bonn Minster was expanded in the Gothic style. In contrast with the Romanic and Gothic elements of the building the interior is notable for its baroque design, especially two marble alters and a bronze statue of St. Helena. The four big bells in the bell tower are of special interest: they all stem from the same bell founder Martin Legros and were cast in 1756. They are some of the few baroque bells having survived both World Wars where bells were threatened to be melted down.
August Macke Haus in Bonn
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Bonn lies on the river Rhine some 20 km south of Cologne. The city remains a popular choice for large-scale exhibitions, conferences, street culture with many cafes and beer gardens in the summer. When in Bonn, you can also visit the August-Macke-Haus, a museum dedicated to the expressionist painter August Macke. The museum displays reconstructed interiors and holds exhibitions regularly on topics focusing on Expressionism.
Carl Heinrich Gerhardt, the father of August Macke’s wife Elisabeth, purchased the house in 1884 to store the archives of his firm next door. The house had been built in 1877/78 in late classicist style. After Gerhardt’s death Macke urged his mother-in-law, who had inherited the house, to remodel the attic as a studio for him. At the urging of son-in-law August and following his design, Sophie had the top floor redone as an artist’s studio. In 1911, Macke, his wife, Elisabeth, and their son moved in.
The artist completed more than 400 paintings while living in the house. ). Looking out from the windows of the house, and especially from those of his studio, Macke observed, sketched, and painted life on the streets below and – again and again – the house’s magnificent garden.
The August Macke Haus was opened to the public on September 26, 1991 in a ceremony attended by North-Rhine/Westphalia Minister-President Johannes Rau. In addition to the studio with paintings by August Macke and furniture used by him in Tegernsee, the house contains an archive of Rhenish Expressionism and a reference library.
The house regularly holds exhibitions on topics connected with Rhenish Expressionism and these exhibitions are documented in a catalogue series published by the Verein August Macke Haus. In the few years since its inception, the Museum August Macke Haus has established itself as an internationally recognized center for research on Rhenish Expressionism.
Events and festivals in Bonn
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Though Bonn pulsates with festivals all the year round, the months between November and April need special mention, because of the carnivals. You can get more information about various festivals and events in the monthly listings magazines De Schnuss and Bonner Illustrierte, which are available at any newsagent. Some of the major festivals of Bonn are:
Karneval:
This festival generally falls on 11 November, the begin of the ‘fifth season’, and between Weiberfastnacht and Rosenmontag in February. The best parties are in Bonn Beuel at Bahnhöfchen and Rheinlust .
Rhein in Flammen:
This festival usually falls on the first Saturday in May and the best celebrations are in Rheinauen, where a big fair with music and food stalls is held. You can also book a ship tour on Rhine.
Beethovenfes:
This is a month long music festival in September which features numerous concerts with many international musicians.
Pützchens Markt:
This five day long big fun fair with approximately 500 businesses is held in Bonn’s suburb Pützchen in September from the 9th to the 14th.
Christmas Market:
This festival starts at the end of November at Münsterplatz and Friedensplatz and the streets in between.
Being at the right place amidst the heart of celebrations is not a big deal in Bonn as the city has an excellent bus, night bus, tram and subway system operated by the local Stadtwerke Bonn. However, the tourists are advised to book their hotels in advance as the city gets crowded during festival season.
Facts and statistics about Bonn
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Located next to the River Rhine, Bonn is better known for being the actual birthplace of world-famous composer Beethoven. The city which was once the capital of West Germany is now an important political centre of Germany with a number of important national parliament buildings.
With constant renovations and modernizations, the city is now a major draw for many international companies and organisations. The city also lays much emphasis on tourism industry and many visitors obtain the Bonn Regio Welcome Card upon their arrival, available at the Bonn Tourist Information Centre on Windeckstrasse.
Bonn boasts of many cultural and scientific museums which give the tourists a feel of the city’s history, culture and scientific advancements. The main museums include the House of Nature (Haus der Natur), the Beuel Homeland Museum (Heimatmuseum Beuel) displaying Stone Age artefacts, The German Museum of Bonn (Deutsches Museum Bonn) giving us technological and scientific history, Bonn Art Museum (Kunstmuseum Bonn) with its superb 20th-century paintings, and many others.
Accommodation is not a problem for the tourists coming to Bonn as the city houses several hotels ranging from cheap hostels and hotel chains, to upmarket five-star hotels with elegant guest rooms, pleasant city views and even swimming pools.
Other facts and statistics of Bonn are:
- Country: Germany (West Germany)
- Location: The Rhineland / North Rhine-Westphalia
- Status: city
- Area: approximately 54 square miles / 140 square kilometres
- Population: approximately 320,000
- Currency: Euro (EUR)
- Electricity: 220 Volts AC, 50 Hz – flat two-pin plugs or third round pin are used, adaptors may be necessary in Germany
- Country dialling code: +49
- Telephone area code: 0228
- Religion: mixture of Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Protestant churches
- Average daily Bonn January temperature: 3°C / 37°F
- Average daily Bonn July temperature: 22°C / 72°F
Beethoven Festival and Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn
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The culture of Bonn is somehow is concentrated around the Music and the legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born here in 1770, has many obligations related to this place. The Beethoven Orchestra that is known to one of the primary and established “ambassadors” of Bonn’s culture is promoting the city’s musical image abroad. The orchestra that has around 106 members is counted as one of the best Orchestra in Germany. It is one of the successes behind the Beethoven Festivals that are occurring over here since 1927. From autumn 1999 onwards, the International Beethoven Festivals take place annually and are organised by a GmbH (Ltd).
Every year in the autumn, in between the end of August and at the start of October, at Beethoven’s native city of Bonn there is celebrated the Beethovenfest, where the best international orchestras, well-known soloists, major ensembles and promising young performers take place. The Beethovenfest has seen renowned Beethoven interpreters and many big stars like Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Hélène Grimaud, Paavo Järvi, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Hope and Martin Grubinger. There regularly many musicians return to Bonn to showcase with the Beethovenfest programmes that are especially dedicated for the festival only.
The tradition of Beethoven festivals started back in 1845, when a three-day music event was organized to mark the dedication of the Beethoven Monument on the Münsterplatz on the event of the 75th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The Beethovenfest Bonn has expanded in its modern form and is an annual four-week festival in the late summer, early autumn, since 1999.
Since 1 October 1998, the festival is organized by a non-profit limited company, the Internationale Beethovenfeste Bonn gGmbH, which is made and financed by the City of Bonn. Its second shareholder alongside the city is Germany’s external public-service broadcaster Deutsche Welle that shows the show on the airwaves worldwide. The festival is organized too in close co-ordination with municipal cultural institutions – the municipal orchestra, the Theater Bonn and the Beethoven-Haus Bonn.
The Beethovenfest Bonn every year focuses upon the different cultural region as relating to Beethoven’s works and the music of his day and of ours. The Beethovenfest Bonn has a tradition to an exception that even reaches well beyond the Rhineland itself and is considered as the Mecca of music for culturally inclined people from all over the Globe.
The venues of the Beethovenfest Bonn are highly varied and each one of them are entirely distinguished and the fest is not only is organized concert-halls like as the Beethovenhalle Bonn and the chamber-music hall of the Beethoven-Haus, but also in churches like St. Evergislus in Bornheim; museums like Kunstmuseum, Bundeskunsthalle, Haus der Geschichte; former parliament buildings like Altes Wasserwerk; at sites important with political history has made it as a very special event for music lovers from all around the world.
Nightlife in Bonn, enjoyment under artificial lights
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Bonn was once after deprived with its German capital status felt it hard to retain its pre capital status and a disturbed city, with hardly anything as to restore for its purpose of night entertainment. However, after the unification of Germany the bonn has been introduced with many a cultural and nightlife features so it remain competitive to other entertaining nightlife as well as recreational activities in Berlin and Hamburg. Now Bonn has quite extensive choice for nightlife. Below are mentioned some popular spots for nightlife in Bonn.
Music and Theatre: There are many popular spots in Bonn for nightlife activities and one of them is Oper Bonn, Am Boeelagerhof 1 close to Kennedy it organizes the classical music concerts, opera and dance. Another popular center for poplar music is Beethoven Orchester Bonn. Finally, Bonner Kammerchor, is an amateur chamber choir formed of about forty members. Choir many a times also organizes free shows as well.
Cinema: It has been observed that in most of the cinemas in Germany there it is generally shown dubbed German versions of international films. Below are mentioned some of the popular English cinemas in Bonn.
• Kinopolis, Moltkestraße: It is a functional multiplex in Bad Godesberg that shows one or two Films in the Original Version a day. Special prices Mon-W and for students. edit
• Brotfabrik, Kreuzstraße: This is a small art cinema in Bonn Beuel which shows regular European films even including classic ones in their original version.
• Rex und Neue Filmbühne: This is one of the two art cinemas in Bonn Beuel that showcases movies in their original version and print.
The Performing Arts: Along with all this Bonn also have some good performing arts venues that showcase the major concerts, theatrical presentations and other events at prescribed times of the year. One of the favorite spot for night theatrical performance in Bonn is the La Scala of the Rhineland in the Oper der Stadt Bonn. Ballet and opera are keeps on occurring here on a very regular basis during the entire year and so. Here concerts are organized from September to June, and free concerts are provided sometime on Sundays.
Clubs and Bars: Nightlife is entirely incomplete without dancing and having a live music and performance and for the purpose there are bars and clubs in the city that one can visit. A famous dance club in city is named as Sharon which provides the perfect environment and atmosphere for partying. It is a 70s-themed club and it opens only during the weekends. Another favorite spot to listen live music in the city is the Pantheon Theater. It is located at the Bundeskanzlerplatz, and it quite popular venue for pop and jazz concerts as well as political cabaret and comedy shows.