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Beethoven Statue in Bonn, Germany.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overview

When this relaxed city on the Rhine became West Germany’s ‘temporary’ capital in 1949 it surprised many, including its own residents. When in 1991 a reunited German government decided to move to Berlin, it shocked many, especially Bonn's own residents.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • The house of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn, Germany.

    Beethoven-Haus Bonn

    Bonn

    Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…

  • Parts of the Berlin Wall and a Traband car can be seen during the reopening of the permanent exhibition at the 'Haus der Geschichte' (lit. 'House of History' in Bonn, Germany, 11 December 2017. Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa (Photo by Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images)

    Haus der Geschichte

    Bonn

    The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…

  • Kunstmuseum Bonn

    Kunstmuseum Bonn

    Bonn

    Beyond its dramatic foyer, the Kunstmuseum Bonn presents 20th-century works, especially by August Macke and other Rhenish expressionists, as well as such…

  • Art Museum in Bonn, Germany; Shutterstock ID 34902595

    Bundeskunsthalle

    Bonn

    Adjoining the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the Bundeskunsthalle (Federal Art Hall) is another striking space that brings in blockbuster exhibits from around the…

  • Deutsches Museum Bonn

    Deutsches Museum Bonn

    Bonn

    Did you know that the airbag and MP3 technology were invented in Germany? You will, after visiting the Deutsches Museum Bonn. This pint-size subsidiary of…

  • The Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf is a Romanesque church in Bonn, Germany. The church was once part of a Benedictine nunnery located at Schwarzrheindorf, now part of Bonn.

    Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf

    Bonn

    The 12th-century Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf is a magnificent ‘double church’ where the nobility would sit on the upper level and peek down on the…

  • GERMANY, BONN - JUNE 14: Bonn at the Rhine river, the former federal capital and since the move of the federal government to Berlin, federal city. Interior view Museum Alexander Koenig, Zoological Research Museum and Natural History Museum. (Photo by Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images)

    Museum Koenig

    Bonn

    The Museum Koenig is a natural history museum but it’s hardly your usual dead-animal zoo. The ‘Savannah’ exhibit re-creates an entire habitat with…

  • The garden of the August Macke Haus is seperated from the street via a glass wall in Bonn, Germany, 30 November 2017. The former residence and studio of painter August Macke reopens after a reconstruction on 3 December 2017. Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa (Photo by Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images)

    August Macke-Haus

    Bonn

    The expressionist painter August Macke (1887–1914) lived and worked in this house in the three years before his untimely death on the battlefields in WWI…

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02 / Articles

Latest stories from Bonn

Festivals & Events

Here's how to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday in Bonn

May 18, 2020 • 2 min read

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