Anybody who grew up in the 1980's in Germany (known as West Germany then) will remember the nation's capital, Bonn. James Bonn. Just a joke.
This was not just some quaint small city along the Rhein, or some place where Beethoven was born before inevitably turning Austrian. Bonn was the seat of the federal government, danke schön.
There would be the obligatory field trip you as a class would take to the nation's capital, complete with the visit of the Bundestag, the German parliament, where your Abgeordneter, or elected representative, would welcome you, although more than likely he (and in the 1980's, it almost definitely was a he, usually an older he) would not be available and send some stooge to greet the kids from the province in his absence. The kids would ooh! and aah! at the huge eagle (really an emaciated turkey) hanging in front of the parliament the way a cross hangs in front of a church and boast long and loud to the neighbors about the visit to Bonn for weeks. If the town was small enough. There would even a be a picture in the paper of the class, the conquering heroes that ventured out to get a first-hand look at democracy in action. That was Bonn for you.
In the year 2019, of course, times have changed. Most of the government is in its rightful (although not necessarily right) place in Berlin, most of the government jobs are gone, now Bonn is that little city that shares an airport with its big brother down the river, Cologne.
Bonn now is still a fine place to visit. If you are coming from the south and driving (or riding on a train), the trip alone is stunning. Along the Rhein are all of these stunning castles that are gorgeous even to the Germans, who have no shortage of culture, wherever they live.
I have always been more of a history guy myself (as opposed to the art, architecture, shopping, museum, park or foodie people), so the historic sites will always be first on my list. The Beethoven House is a given, and this is actually one of the few buildings left relating to Beethoven that has survived over the years. Personally, I don’t think it compares to the Beethoven Museum in Vienna, although Beethoven still spent the first two decades of his life in Bonn and was already an accomplished musician by the time he left for Austria.
The first places I always visit in a German city are its churches. In Bonn, there would be the minster and the Stiftskirche, which were the most prominent features. minster (Münster in German) itself was first built in the 12th and completed in the 13th century. The minster is so typical of those late gothic cathedrals you’ll find anywhere up and down the Rhein river. With all of the wars that have raged throughout Europe’s history, it’s amazing that so many churches have survived. This doesn’t even include the two relatively modern world wars that razed so much of the landscape around Bonn and the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, although these wars might have been the most destructive. It’s a tribute to the communities that these churches, along with numerous other cultural monuments, have been preserved and restored.
The Stiftskirche (late 19th century) is still new when compared to most European churches, but it fascinates me nonetheless. A series of churches were built on the same location, so the Stiftskirche being labeled as a new or modern church is quite deceptive. You still have a baptismal font dating from the 13th century, plus exquisite wooden sculptures made out of oak.
Sadly, the infrastructure in too many places in Nordrhein Westfalen just isn’t up to standard. You just have to shake your head at some of the streets, buildings and bridges that are in dire need of repair. Where is the money for that?
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