Monographie Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

BEETHOVEN, WASSERBURGEN, SIEBENGEBIRGE – PLACES OF INTEREST AND PLACES WORTH VISITING
Regarding the number of overnight stays, this region has
been setting new records for years. Meanwhile, Bonn has
reached the 1.5 million mark, and in the Rhein-Sieg
district the number of overnight stays has increased to
more than 1.3 million people per year. Not only is the
number of business travellers increasing; the large number
of touristic highlights in the city and surrounding
district is also attracting increasing numbers of people.
A weekend getaway with family Hansen from Bremen.
Within a mere five minutes, we have already gained a lasting
first impression. It is Friday afternoon, and family Hansen
from Bremen has just arrived at Bonn central station, with
the Intercity train. Now they are strolling toward Kaiserplatz
– and marvelling at the view. Their gaze travels along
Poppelsdorfer Allee to Poppelsdorf Palace, which was
erected between 1715 and 1740 by Cologne electoral
prince Joseph Clemens and his nephew and successor
Clemens August, who had it extended in accordance with
plans by Balthasar Neumann. In the courtyard garden, the
Hansens once again stop and marvel at the Electoral Palace
that today is home to the university.
As is the case with a large number of Germans, the Hansens
took the decision to spend a 3-day weekend in a German
city, and this is how it came that they decided to visit Bonn.
The first day is dedicated to exploring the city centre, es -
pecially, however, the city’s most famous son. They take a
look at the Beethoven monument at Münsterplatz and then
visit Beethovenhaus (Beethoven house) in Bonngasse. The
birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven has the largest Beet -
hoven collection worldwide. Following a little refreshment
in the hotel, a musical highlight is the next item on the
itinerary: a concert in Beethovenhalle within the framework
of the Beethovenfest Bonn (Beethoven Festival).
Rhine Romanticism and the joys of hiking
After having enjoyed a substantial breakfast, the time has
come to visit the Rhine River on Saturday morning. More
precisely: the Middle Rhine. This is because the North
German Plain ends at the height of the northern city boundaries,
between Mondorf and Graurheindorf (Rhine kilometre
659). When viewed from the North, the Rhine is the Lower
Rhine up to the Sieg estuary, and from there on, it is the
Middle Rhine. Thus, justifiably, Bonn is considered the “Gateway
to the Middle Rhine” – a title the city and region fully
utilises in its marketing activities.
The Hansen family take an excursion ship travelling up the
River Rhine to Königswinter. They pass by “Villa Hammerschmidt”,
pass the “Langer Eugen” (Tall Eugene) and the
“Altes Wasserwerk” (Old Waterworks), three insignias of the
“Bonner Republik” (Bonn Republic), thus referring to the time
when Bonn still was the German capital of West Germany.
The trip continues past the present-day tourist attractions
such as the Post-Tower on the one side and “Bonner Bogen”,
with its striking Kameha Grand Hotel silhouette, on the other
side of the Rhine River.
In Königswinter, the tourism hotspot of the Rhein-Sieg
district, the Hansens visit the Siebengebirgsmuseum and
then take the famous historical rack railway up to Drachenfels.
It is considered the oldest still operated rack railway in
171