'''Bonn''' was the former capital of the Federal Republic of Germany (previously, ''West Germany'') and lies on the river Rhine some 20 km south of Cologne. The city remains a popular choice for large-scale exhibitions and conferences. Bonn is best known culturally as the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. Population 315,000.

Understand

Bonn's beginning dates between 13 - 9 BC when Romans began building roads, bridges, and fortresses at a location known as "Bonna." One well documented event was the maryrdom of two Thebaean legionaries. The Thebaean Legion was an all Christian legion, which refused to worship the emperor as a god. As punishment, the Thebaean Legion's commander, Mauritius was executed in St. Moritz as were many other Thebaean legionaries including '''Cassius''' and '''Florentius''', Bonn's patron saints, who were martyred at the location of the present-day ''Munster'' basilica.

After the Romans left, the town had a very tumultuous history. Bonn has been destroyed and pummeled on so many occasions that it nearly became a pastime. Norman invaders were the first to burn the town to the ground in 881 and again in 892. In 1198, King Philip of Swabia and Duke Heinrich von Brabant layed siege to Bonn. In 1244 Konrad von Hochstaden, archbishop of Cologne ordered Bonn to be fortified. The reasons for fortrification may have been for the Archbishop's protection as he had apparently begun fighting with Cologne's leaders and often resided in Bonn after the dispute. In 1288 under Sigfried II von Westerburg the archbishopric was transferred from Cologne to Bonn, which has since been transfered back to Cologne.

In 1582 Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg converted to Calvinism and refused to give up his position as elector. In February of 1583 Waldburg married and was in April of the same year excommunicated by Pope Gregory XIII. After the Truschessian War Gebhard fled to Strassbourg, but not before Bonn felt the rapture of Bavarian troops, who blew up the Godesberg (the archbishop's residence) with 1,500 pounds of gun powder. While the town survived the Thirty Years war Bonn was completely destroyed in 1689 as a result of the War of the Grand Alliance.

In December 1770 Bonn's most famous son, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born on Bonngasse. Bonn is probably best known as Beethoven's birth place and this fact is well advertised by the city despite Beethoven's vehement disgust towards his hometown. Beethoven spent some time in Vienna hoping to study with Mozart, but after his mother's death he was forced to return to Bonn for five years to raise his two younger brothers since his alcoholic father was unable to. In 1792 Beethoven returned to Vienna and never came back to Bonn.

Get in

<!-- -->===By air=== The closest airport to Bonn is the '''Cologne-Bonn''' (German: ''Koln-Bonn'') airport [http://www.koeln-bonn-airport.de/index.php?lang=2] ({{IATA|CGN}}, {{ICAO|EDDK}}). The airport handles far more air cargo traffic than passengers, but since the airport has become the hub for a few low-cost air carriers such as Germanwings [http://www.germanwings.com] and TUIfly [http://www.flytui.co.uk] the airport has seen a nearly two-fold rise in passenger traffic. From outside of Europe the airport is a very well kept secret - airlines will often offer on par or better rates to CGN than some of Europe's larger airports like Gatwick, Heathrow, or Charles de Gaulle. Several flights from New York City cost as low as $400 round trip.

From the airport, take the SB60 airport bus (? 6,50) to the middle of Bonn city. It leaves every 30 minutes from near the taxi stands at the airport. You can also take a train from the airport to Bonn-Beuel, which is on the other side of the river from Bonn city (Zentrum).

By train

  • <listing name = "Bonn Hauptbahnhof" address = "Am Hauptbahnhof 1" directions="" phone="+49 / (0)228 / 715324" email="bonn@dbreisebuero.de" fax="+49 / (0)228 / 715324" url="" hours="" price=""> </listing>
  • Get around

    Bonn has an excellent bus, night bus, tram and subway system. There also ticket offices and vending machines on big stations. It's recommened you purchased a Day pass. The tickets are valid in local trains, S-Bahn, tram, subway, busses and night busses.

    See

  • Das Bonner Munster. erhard-von-Are Strase 5. 49 (0)228 / 98 588 - 0. farrbuero@bonner-muenster.de. ttp://www.bonner-muenster.de/. ours: Church: 7:00 - 19:00. Cloister: 9:00 - 17:00. A beautiful basilica, in Bonn's city center. Only Bonn Information or the Bonner Munster Foundation are permitted to arrange guided tours to the basilica. The "Bonn Information" organization can arrange for non-German tours.

  • Kreuzbergkirche. tationsweg 21. nfo@kreuzberg-bonn.de. ttp://www.kreuzberg-bonn.de/. n summer: 09:00 AM ? 18:00 PM. In winter: 09:00 AM ? 17:00 PM. Visit of the Holy Staircase: 09:00 AM ? 17:00 PM. The church is a beautiful example of baroque architecture. Today, the church serves as both a church and a German language and culture school, but is probably best known for the "Heiliger Steige." The church was erected in 1627/1628 on the orders of the archbishop to replace an older chapel. In 1746 Elector Clemens August von Bavarian donated the "Heiliger Steige", or holy staircase, which, according to legend has pieces of the cross the crucified Jesus set into the stone. Small brass crosses on the second, eleventh, and last steps mark the spots where the pieces of the cross are supposed to be set.

  • Deutsche Welle World Headquarters and Radio. urt-Schumacher-Strase 3. 49/(0)228/ 429-2538. isitor.service@dw-world.de. 49/(0)228/ 429-2040. ttp://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,2142,6129,00.html. ours leave Mon. - Fri. at: 10:00 & 14:00. ours are free. Deutsche Welle (Also known simply as DW) is Germany's international media outlet and is now housed in what was supposed to be the German parliment's home. After the German government decided to move the building was taken over by DW to become its world headquarters and home to its radio operations. Tours are conducted in German, however, tours can be conducted in English, French, Spanish, or Portugese when requested in advance. DW asks that anyone wishing to take a tour reserve at least two months in advance and may require you to be with a group of 6 - 20 persons, however, they may arrange an exception if contacted. Tours last an average of two hours.

    The former capital

  • Palais Schaumburg. denauerallee 139/141. Until 2001 it was used to house the office of Germany's chancellor and the chancellor's cabinet. Today, the building is used as a secondary headquarters for the chancellor.

  • Villa Hammerschmidt. denauerallee 135. Between 1951 - 1994 the Villa Hammerschmidt served as the residence of the German President, however, since the relocation of the German government to Berlin the building serves as a secondary residence for the president.

    Museums and Galleries

    The Bonn Regio WelcomeCards [http://www.bonn-region.de/english/travel-info/bonn-regio-welcomecard/museums.html] offers free admission to most public museums in Bonn (including all of those listed below), free rides on buses and trams on the local public transport system (VRS), and discounts to other tourist attractions. The validity for both individual or family WelcomeCards are in increments of 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours, and can be purchased online, at the Tourismus offices or participating hotels. The 24-hour individual ticket cost ?9.
  • Beethoven-Haus. onngasse 18-26. ake trams (62 or 66) or buses to Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz / Beethoven-Haus. 49 228-98175-0. nfo@beethoven-haus-bonn.de. 49 228 98175-26. ttp://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de. pril 1 - October 31: Mon. - Sat.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sundays & holidays: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. November 1 - March 31: Mon. - Sat.: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sundays & holidays: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed New Year's Day, Carnival-Thursday, the Monday preceding Ash Wednesday, Carnival-Tuesday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and from 24 to 26 December, New Year's eve. The birthplace of the great composer is now a museum dedicated to his life and work. The museum even has a lock of Beethoven's hair on display. Somewhat ironically Bonn advertises their hometown son despite Beethoven's vehment hatred for his hometown. With a competent docent this museum is well worth the visit and is more interesting than Mozart's Geburthaus in

  • <listing name="Goethe Institut" address="Friedrich-Ebert-Strase 11" directions="" phone="+49 /(0)228/ 95 75 6-0" email="Bonn@goethe.de" fax="" url="http://www.goethe.de/ins/de/ort/bon/enindex.htm" hours="" price=""> </listing>
  • Buy

  • Haribo Factory Store. aribo Factory Shop. riesdorfer Str. 121, 53175 Bonn. ttp://www.haribo.com. Haribo, the world-famous candy maker, has its headquarter in Bonn (Haribo is an acronym for HAns RIegler BOnn). The factory store is located nearby the old factory in Bad Godesberg, easy to reach by U-Bahn 16,63,66 Wurzerstrase? stop. It features a brief exposition of Haribo memorabilia as well as a huge variety of gummy sweets and gadgets. Entering is a bit of a Charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory moment.

    </buy>

    Eat

  • Cassius-Garten. egetarian food. aximilianstrase 28d. pposite of the Hauptbahnhof. ttp://www.cassiusgarten.de. o-Sat 11-20h. ,60EUR/100g. Completely '''vegetarian''', buffet-style, '''vegan''' meals are marked with a green dot. . Hint: Try the soups (2EUR)!

  • '''Bierhaus Machold''' on Heerstrasse, near the corner of Wolfstrasse, Altstadt (Old City). Food from 17:00-23:00. [http://www.bierhaus-machold.com]. Excellent German food and good beer in a nice pub. Beer garden in summer. Try the Jagerschnitzel! 7-15 EUR for mains.
  • '''Soup in the city''' a small bistro, where you get soups and salads, hand made and really good. Also fruit juices and baguettes. You can eat for 4-8 EUR. Open: Monday - Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 12 a.m. tp 4 p.m. Web (only german) [http://www.munzerts.de/]
  • '''Ristorante Caminetto''' (Romerstrasse 83) a very nice and delicious italian restaurant in the heart of the city of Bonn, where you get a selection of the finest wines and meals of the region of Piemont You cannot eat for 4-8 EUR, but it is really good food. Open: Monday - Saturday 12:00 - 14:30 and 18:00 - 23:00 Web [http://www.caminetto.de/]
  • Drink

    Cafes

  • Schokoladen. unsterstrasse 7, Bonn. ttp://www.schoko-schoko.de. Schokoladen is located close to the central station . This small cafe offers excellent chocolate-based drinks. Fresh made with melted chocolate and milk you can enjoy it hot, cold or mixed with coffee or other drinks. You can also have a chocolate fondue there with fresh fruits and cookies.
  • Cafetiero. auspfad. Best Latte Macciato in the town, but open only during the day.
  • Einstein Cafe. auspfad. The Einstein Cafe boasts excellent espresso, comparable to Starbucks. One of the few branches of the Berlin-based chain outside of Berlin.
  • Cafe Blau (blue). ranziskaner Strasse. : Mainly visited by students, this cafe is located in the entrance hall of a public swimming pool. It is kind of "cult" to go there, even the food is not so good.
  • Brasserie. emigius Platz (near Marktplatz). : Large cafe, brasserie, restaurant. Good brunch on sundays.
  • Cafe Fassbender. orner Sternstrasse and Dreieck. Cafe Fassbenderthey is known for its cake. It is a pastry shop and a cafe. Often very crowded. It is a great location for elderly people to visit.
  • Cafe Gottlich. auspfad. Cozy cafe with some of the best espresso in town.
  • Fiddler's Irish Pub. rongasse 9, Bonn-Endenich. Fiddler's is an Irish Pub that serves traditional Irish fare. Events such as weekly Karaoke and Pub Trivia are popular with the student crowd. As a bonus for travelers, a good percentage of the staff will be native English speakers as well.

    Clubs and Discos

  • BLOW UP. athausgasse 10. Dive bar. Speciality is funk and 60's. It can get smokey and very hot when crowded.

  • Carpe Noctem. esselstrasse 5, 53113 Bonn. ttp://www.carpe-noctem-bonn.de/index.php. Underground rock club with young patrons. Has occasional student parties boasting free entry and half-price drinks. If the club is packed, it will get uncomfortably hot. Dress light. </drink>

  • Drei Raum Wohnung. oeselagerhof 15, 53111 Bonn - Innenstadt. Loosely translates to "Three Room Apartment". Very interesting joint with two completely different atmospheres depending on where you are. The ground floor is a stylish lounge with mixed drink specialties that caters to the slightly older theater crowd. The basement has an open dance floor, cheap beer specials and a live DJ. The basement also has a "bedroom" and "living room" with seating to get away from the dance floor for a rest. The real crowd shows up here late with the dance floor usually not filling up until after 23:00.

  • N8schicht. ornheimer Str. 20-22. ttp://www.n8schicht.de. Open five days a week. Theme parties. Can also get smoky and hot when crowded.

    Sleep

  • Auerberg Galerie Design Hotel. olnstrasse 360-364. 49 (0)228 1848-0. 49 (0)228 1848-1825. ttp://www.auerberg-hotel.de/. heck in time: , Check out time:.

  • '''Best Western Premier Hotel Domicil''' [http://www.domicil-bonn.bestwestern.de/]
  • '''Bildungsstatte Haus Venusberg e. V.''' [http://www.haus-venusberg.de/]
  • Derag Hotel Kanzler. denauerallee 148. 49 (0)228-68 44-0. anzler@deraghotels.de. 49 (0)228-68 44-160. ttp://www.deraghotels.de/pages/Uebersicht_Hotel1.htm. heck in time: , Check out time:.

  • '''Dorint Sofitel Venusberg''' [http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/de/sof/5352/fiche_hotel.shtml]
  • Hilton Bonn. erliner Freiheit 2. 49-(0)228-72690. 49-(0)228-72697005. ttp://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=TFOTMVRTXHLT4CSGBIW2VCQKIYFCVUUC?ctyhocn=BNJHIHI. heck in time: 14:00, Check out time: Noon.

  • '''Maritim Bonn''' [http://www.maritim.de/typo3/index.php?id=677]
  • '''Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersberg''' [http://www.gaestehaus-petersberg.de/ns.htm]
  • '''Tagungs- und Bildungshaus CJD Bonn''' [http://www.cjd-bonn.de/public/home/index.php]
  • '''Youth Hostel Bonn Venusberg''' [http://www.jugendherberge.de/jh/bonn/]
  • Budget

    Mid-range

  • Hotel Eden. m Hofgarten 6. 49 (0)228/ 289710. eservierung@eden-bonn.de. 49 (0)228/ 225070. ttp://www.eden-bonn.de. heck in time: , Check out time:. ingle room: ? 70 - 85. Double room: ? 85 - 115.

    Splurge

    Contact

  • <listing name = "Deutsche Post - main post office" address = "Munsterplatz 17" directions = "" phone = "" email= "" fax = "" url = "http://www.deutschepost.de" hours = "Hours: Mon. - Fri.: 09:00-20:00. Sat.: 09:00-16:00. Closed Sundays." price=""> </listing>
  • Get out

  • '''Cologne'''
  • '''Konigswinter''' Is the home to Drachenfels (1010 ft.), crowned by the ruins of a castle built early in the 12th century by the archbishop of Cologne, rises behind the town. From the summit, which can be accessed by the Drachenfels Railway, there is a magnificent view, celebrated by Lord Byron in ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage''. A cave in the hill is said to have sheltered the dragon which was slain by the hero Siegfried.
  • '''Zulpich''', to the west of Bonn, towards Aachen, is an old Roman settlement with a newly opened museum centered on Roman baths and bathing culture. Zulpich is also a gateway to the Eifel region.