Bonn
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| Coat of arms | Map |
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| Missing image Wappen-stadt-bonn.png | Missing image Bonn-Position.png |
| Basic information | |
| Bundesland: | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Regierungsbezirk: | Cologne |
| Kreis: | Kreisfreie Stadt |
| Area: | 141.22 km² |
| Population: | 313,605 (December 31, 2004) [1] (http://www.bonn.de/statistik_wahlen/index.asp?10220) |
| Population density: | 2,220 residents/km² |
| Elevation: | 45.6-194.8 m above sea level |
| Postal codes: | 53000-53359 (old: 5300) |
| Area code: | 0228 |
| License plate prefix: | BN |
| Gemeindeschlüssel: | 05 3 14 000 |
| ISO 3166-2: | DE BON |
| Official Website: | www.bonn.de |
| Politics | |
| Mayor: | Bärbel Dieckmann (SPD) |
Bonn is a city in Germany (Population (2004 est): 313,605 ; the 19th largest city in Germany), in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine. It was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990. From 1288 to 1803 it was the residence of the Archbishops and prince-electors of Cologne.
Bonn_Rathaus.jpg
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History
The history of the city dates back to Roman times. About 10 BC the Romans constructed a bridge across the Rhine close to a place called "Bonna". After the Roman defeat in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest this small camp was enlarged to become a fort for 7000 legionnaires.
Bonn_Muenster.jpg
The fort became a town which remained after the Romans left. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Romanesque style Munster (cathedral) was built, and in 1597 it became the capital of the principality of Cologne. The town gained more influence and grew considerably. The elector Clemens August (ruled 1724-1761) ordered the construction of a series of Baroque 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 the city in 1770; the elector financed the composer's first journey to Vienna.
In 1794 the town was seized by French troops. It became a part of the Napoleonic Empire. In 1815 Bonn was taken by Prussia and remained a Prussian city until 1945. The town was of little relevance in these years.
Following World War II Bonn was in the British zone of occupation, and in 1949 became the capital of West Germany. The choice of Bonn was made due to the advocacy of Konrad Adenauer, who was from near Cologne.
The German reunification in 1990 made Berlin the nominal capital of Germany again. However, this decision did not necessarily imply that the republic's political institutions would also move. This was only concluded by the Bundestag (Germany's parliament) on June 20, 1991, after a heated debate. While the government and parliament moved, as a compromise, some of the ministries largely remained in Bonn, with only the top officials in Berlin. There was no plan to move these departments, and so Bonn remained a second, unofficial capital. Because of the necessary construction work, the move took several years (until 1999) to complete.
The University of Bonn, with ca. 30,000 students, is one of the biggest in Germany.
Districts
Bonn_Stadtbezirke.png
Districts of Bonn
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. Bad Godesberg and Beuel became districts (Stadtbezirke) of Bonn with some independence and populations of about 70,000 each.
Buildings and structures
- Beethoven-House
- Botanischer Garten (Botanical Garden), where Titan arum reached a world record
- Poppelsdorf-Castle
- UN Campus
- University
- Haus der Geschichte (museum of history)
- Kunstmuseum (art museum)
Twin towns
- Oxford, United Kingdom since 1947
- Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel since 1983
- Potsdam, Brandenburg (formerly GDR) since 1988
- Budafok, District XII of Budapest, Hungary since 1991
- Opole, Poland (officially since 1997, contacts were established 1954)
District of Bad Godesberg
- Saint-Cloud, France
- Frascati, Italy
- Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom
- Kortrijk, Belgium
- Yalova, Turkey
District of Beuel
District of Hardtberg
See also
- Berlin
- East Berlin
- East Germany
- Germany
- History of Germany since 1945
- University of Bonn
- West Berlin
- West Germany
External link
- Official Website (http://www.bonn.de) (German)
- Beethoven-Haus Bonn is the place, where Beethoven was born - contains a large archive of historic and modern documents related to Beethoven (http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de)
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