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Christmas market time!
When the days get darker in the dreary month of November and the wet cold dampens the mood, I go to the Christmas market before the winter blues gets a hold of me. Around the Münsterplatz in Bonn, wooden stalls are set up and create a cosy atmosphere with Christmas...
The Old Cemetery (Alter Friedhof): Not only Beethoven’s mother and Robert Schumann
In 2025, the Fördergesellschaft für den Alten Friedhof Bonn e.V. (Friends of Bonn's Old Cemetery Association) celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Bonn Greeters would like to offer their heartfelt congratulations! Through its work, the association makes an important...
Bonn: International Centre of the Piano World
Telekom Beethoven Competition: 04. - 13. December, 2025 In December, Bonn will once again become the international centre of the piano world. In Beethoven's birthplace, the renowned Telekom Beethoven Competition is challenging outstanding classical pianists from all...
The Bundesbüdchen: a cult kiosk
Built in 1957 and kidney-shaped, with a tiled base and a wide canopy: a (cult) kiosk in the middle of the UN and former government district in Bonn. In this district, somewhat away from the city centre, there has never been many shops or restaurants, just a small row...
When Lola Montez danced on the table: The Beethoven Festival of 1845
Nowadays, Beethoven festivals are almost routine. They take place annually. There is stable funding (we will draw a veil over the years 1993 to 1998), early planning by the artistic director and a firm foothold in the city's society. At the first Beethoven Festival in...
Beethovenfest Bonn – not just in 2025
On August 28th, the time has come: The Beethovenfest 2025 will open under the patronage of Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of NRW, followed by over 100 events in and around Bonn until September 27th. During this time, the city of Bonn will be dedicated to its...
Bonn Rocks and Grooves
Most people think of Beethoven and classical music when they think of Bonn, but Bonn also has a lot to offer in terms of other genres of music. Back in the 60s and 70s, Bonn was a hotspot for music, and even Queen, who...
May in Bonn is cold and grey – Le Carré’s ‘A Small Town in Germany’
Apart from the seemingly inevitable local crime novels and a few autobiographical special cases, Bonn hardly ever appears as the setting for a novel. This also applies to its years as the capital city of Germany. Of the few novels that deal with the politics of the...
Hidden on the banks of the Rhine
Anyone strolling along Bonn's Rhine promenade usually has their eyes fixed on the river and the sights on the horizon: the Siebengebirge mountains, the government district or the Schwarzrheindorfer Doppelkirche church, for example. But it's worth taking a look to the...