DW-World.de - Deutsche Welle

Close Window

Pictures for this topic

Bonn

 
Bonn's city hall, originally constructed in Roccoco style, was rebuilt after World War II. Located on the central market square, it played a significant political role while Bonn was the country's capital, from 1949 to 1999, but now serves purely ceremonial purposes. Bonn is home to one of the largest universities in Germany. Here, students attend lectures in what used to be the residence of Prince Joseph Clemens, who had the palace built at the turn of the 18th century. It has been used as a place of study for nearly 200 years. Prince Joseph Clemens had this villa built, just a few hundred meters from his main residence, to serve as a weekend get-away. It now contains a valuable mineral collection and a botanical garden. Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most influential composers of all time, was born in this house in Bonn in December 1770. The building is now open as a museum and is located next to the Beethoven Chamber Music Hall, where renowned musicians perform in an intimate setting. The concert hall in Bonn is named after the city's favorite composer and is also home to the Beethoven Orchester Bonn. It was built in 1959 and can hold up to nearly 2,000 spectators. Bonn is planning a massive Beethoven festival hall that would enhance the city's connection to the composer and play a more significant role in the international classical music scene. Built in classical English style, La Redoute -- which means The Beethoven memorial, erected in 1845 in honor of the composer's 75th birthday, stands in front of what is now the central post office. The Deutsche Post has its headquarters in Bonn. Measuring over 160 meters (over 530 feet), the Post Tower is the tallest building in the former capital and was completed in 2003 by Murphy Jahn Architects. It is pictured here between the two spires of the Art and Exhibition Hall, located across the street. Bonn's Haus der Geschichte, or House of History, tells the story of Germany from the Holocaust to the present with colorful, interactive exhibits. Admission is free. Bonn is located directly on the Rhine River, which is a heavily trafficked waterway both for tourist boats and commercial-transport ships. Seventeen United Nations organizations are located in Bonn and they are soon to come together under one roof in the UN Campus on the Rhine River. Chancellor Angela Merkel officially handed over the partially completed complex in 2006 to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The 55 million-euro ($85 million) project, located on the former site of the German parliament, is to be completed by 2009. Perched on a hilltop above the Rhine River in Koenigswinter near Bonn, the Petersberg Hotel played host to some of the most important leaders of our time. After World War II, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer met there with Allied leaders to negotiate the treaty, signed in 1949, that would establish Germany as a state. The hotel was used during several periods over the past half century as an official state guest house, hosting scores of high-ranking officials, including Leonid Brezhnev, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth. The Group of Eight held talks at Petersberg on the Kosovo crisis in 1999 and the UN met there in 2001 to discuss Afghanistan.
 

Click on a picture to enlarge

 

Overview 1 / 2 ahead

 

Search Pictures

Close Window