A small town in Germany? (Bonn)

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	Bonn
Date:	20/03/07 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact, cultured, loads to do

Disadvantages: Limited "old town", some may find it lacking vitality

Bonn was the capital of the former West Germany (or Bundesrepublik in German) between1949 and 1990. It is the nineteenth largest (according to Wikipedia) city in Germany which says much about why it was chosen to be the new capital following World War Two; Konrad Adenauer, the post-war chancellor of the Bundesrepublik, was a local lad and he pushed for Bonn to become capital over Frankfurt, a city which was in a much better position to take on the role. Frankfurt already had many suitable buildings and a good infrastructure but Bonn won the day in spite of the added costs involved.

Following World War Two, Germany was divided into four zones; this was done to satisfy the Allies who each had various claims on the territory and wished to protect their individual interests and the other reason was that it was believed that Germany needed to be prevented from becoming too powerful again in the future. Although Berlin was also divided, it was seen as imperative that Berlin should be erased from German consciousness as symbolic of what had gone on before and the newly installed West German government agreed that Bonn would be an acceptable capital since it had no connections with the country’s controversial past.

Bonn was essentially a small town some 20 kilometres south of Cologne. It had little in the way of large buildings necessary to house government institutions but over the decades it became a shining example of a modern and orderly German city with an excellent public transport system and notable architecture, providing its citizens with good housing, open spaces and varied cultural pursuits.

Bonn is undoubtedly the “small town in Germany” described by John Le Carre; in fact some Germans joked and called it the “Bundesdorf” – the Federal village and Bonn certainly does feel quite small and insular. However, Bonn is not short of things to do and could easily have kept us occupied for several days; alas, we had only one day to cram in as much as possible.

The first thing you should do on arrival is head to the Tourist Information Office near Munsterplatz and buy a Bonn Regio Card; they start at 9 Euro for an adult for 24 hours and can be bought for 24, 48 or 72 hours; family cards are particularly good value and the assistant who served us kept pointing this out – maybe he wanted us to go out onto the street and collar a couple of kids to come sightseeing with us!

As well as free entry to virtually all the museums and galleries in Bonn and the suburbs, the card entitles you to free use of the public transport system and gives discount at some shops, cafes and restaurants. We more than recouped the cost of our one day cards.

Getting about in Bonn is a pleasure; as soon as you arrive you can tell that Bonn is one of those orderly German cities where transport is clean and frequent and where pedestrians are respected and allowed plenty of traffic free areas to roam.
The buses are easy to negotiate and all buses, underground and light rail systems have electronic destination signs as well as spoken announcements telling you which is the next stop and which direction the bus is headed in.

To really fit in you should think about hiring a bicycle; there are dedicated cycle lanes and also cycle stations where you can secure the bike or where you can get someone to fix any problems the bike might have.

There are galleries and museums dotted around the city but the main concentration is around Museum Mile, close to the university. We visited the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn; this museum tells the story of the area from prehistoric times to the present day with an emphasis on the character, economy and crafts of the region. It plays hosts to temporary exhibitions but we went primarily to see the remains of Neanderthal man and a great deal of the exhibits are linked to this.

Next stop was the small Altstadt or Old Town; this area in Bonn is not very remarkable, not especially old or scenic but reasonably attractive. The centre of Bonn has one or two striking buildings such as the Doppelkirche but lacks the appeal of other German cities in the area like Koblenz or Cologne.

In the afternoon we visited the August Macke Museum and Gallery devoted to the life and work of the artist who lived and worked in Bonn in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. There is a reconstruction of the artist’s studio on the top floor. The other floors show a few of his painting but primarily the work of his contemporaries who are less well known; I was disappointed by this and thought that there should have been more of Macke’s work on display. The photographs and written pieces on display put the artist’s life and work in a historical context were certainly worth the visit however and I thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so we spent there. Most of this was in German but there may be information in English if you ask.

Our final port of call was the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland – the Museum of the History of the Federal Republic. This is a lively and quirky museum with interactive elements and a focus on how West Germany developed in the post war years. It may sound a little stuffy but its not; of all the museums in Bonn this is probably the best one to take children to. It’s fun and varied and highly enjoyable.

We broke up our days sightseeing with numerous stops for drinks and for lunch. Bonn has a diverse restaurant scene with the area around the August Macke Museum being full of Chinese, Indian and Turkish restaurants. Closer to the centre there are the usual fast food joints but also a good number of traditional eateries; they can be a little pricey and the set menus are the best value. Basically if you see a group of businessmen going somewhere for lunch it should be a good bet. The menu will have a choice of starters and main courses as well as a daily pudding; there should be something for everyone at a reasonable price. Menus are often available in English if you do not speak German although most people do speak excellent English; the place we ate suggested something from the “soap tureen” – maybe to cleanse your palette between courses?

There are numerous “konditorei” – the places you see with hundreds of kinds of gooey cream cakes in the windows but a growing number of places specializing in tea. Best of all are the quirky and individual little bars which you’ll find tucked away in the back streets, each totally different from the last. The local drink is “kolsch” which is a light lager/beer drink; it’s not unusual but its pretty good.

Shopping in Bonn is distinctly average but then why should it be otherwise? There is some concession to tourism with numerous opportunities to buy Beethoven related souvenirs but we found nothing particularly “Bonn-ish” that one might want to take home. Having said that the shops are pleasant enough and there is plenty to look at as you make your way through the city centre.

Bonn is a bustling multicultural city the population of which is boosted by 30, 000 students. All over there were fly posters for concerts – classical, rock and world music; there were notices for meetings and political campaigns; there were people stopping to chat’ people queuing to buy street food. Overall I was struck by a sense of community and civility. Bonn certainly does seem to be the stereotypical German city that is orderly yet creative and culturally advanced. I was there only for one day but I felt I had pretty much worked out what Bonn is all about.

With so much more still to see – the Beethoven House Museum, the Museum of Egyptian History, the Museum of Modern Art and much more – I will certainly make a point of visiting Bonn again at some point in the future, possibly in conjunction with a visit to Cologne. Bonn does have the air of a village but that seems to me down to the friendliness and civility of its citizens. It is so much more than merely a “small town in Germany”.



Nearest airport – Cologne/Bonn

Accommodation - a quick glance at the city Tourist Information website shows that Bonn has a variety of accommodation to suit all budgets

http://www.bonn.de/tourismus_kultur_sport_freizei t/index.html?lang=en

Summary: A civilsed and cultural German experience