by Susanne Erbay | Feb, 2025 | Bonn Sights, EN, points of interest, tradition
Bonn’s Carnival is also known as the ‘fifth season’ and officially begins on 11 November at 11:11 a.m. and reaches its peak in the days before Ash Wednesday.
Originally Carnival was celebrated as a pagan festival to drive out winter. Later, Carnival was celebrated before the Christian fasting period before Easter. Even though not all Bonn residents like or celebrate Carnival, it has cultural and social significance. Many are involved in carnival clubs, of which there are
numerous in Bonn and the surrounding districts. Each carnival club has different ‘uniforms’ or costumes. The uniforms date back to the French occupation at the end of the 18th / beginning of the 19th century. The occupiers banned carnival because they feared unrest. But after the occupation ended people celebrated again, wearing the uniforms the French had left behind. This was a way of making fun of the occupiers, and later also of the Prussian occupiers. One remnant is the ‘Stippeföttche’, a dance in which men with sabres and rifles (which shoot flowers!) shimmy their backsides together.
The carnival associations organise many carnival events during the season. There are formal sessions, balls, dance parties, ladies’ sessions, men’s sessions and children’s sessions – there is something for everyone. Many a successful comedian or musician made their first appearances there and laid the foundation for their success.
The street carnival kicks off on Women’s Carnival Day. Traditionally, women storm the town hall on this
day, cut off the ties of the men and symbolically take power. This custom was introduced over 200 years ago, in 1824, by the Beuel washerwomen. At that time, the men brought the freshly washed laundry to Cologne by ship, received payment for it and promptly squandered it during Carnival. In 1824 the washerwomen had had enough and decided to take drastic action. They got together for a coffee klatch and founded the Old Beuel Women’s Committee 1824 e. V. Since then, the town hall has traditionally been stormed in Beuel where the Women’s Carnival procession also takes place.
On Carnival Sunday, the Old Town Hall on Bonn’s market square will be stormed by fools. The mayor will try to defend it – but of course she won’t be able to. From 11 a.m. onwards, there will be a lot of carnival hustle and bustle on Bonn’s market square – come and see for yourself.
The highlight of the Bonn Carnival is the Rose Monday Parade. For several hours decorated floats, groups
of people on foot and musicians and bands parade through the city centre and the northern part of the city. Thousands of people line the route and collect sweets and bouquets of flowers. For those who have never been: make sure you have enough bags for the sweets.
The Carnival Prince and the Bonna are the city’s representatives during the carnival season. They take part in numerous events and are the stars of the carnival season, as well as of the Rose Monday parade. The Bonn royal couple’s float is the last one in the Rose Monday parade, before the Bonn-Orange city cleaning service clears away the worst of the dirt from the procession. Everything has to be in order 🙂
It is definitely worth taking part in the carnival adventure, even if you are not from Bonn.
More information and dates can be found at here.
by Gert Fischer | Dec, 2024 | Bonn Sights, EN, points of interest, tradition, Uncategorized
The flight of steps at the Old City Hall has seen better days. Its grand appearances have become rare. Nowadays it only takes centre stage on Carnival Sunday, when the carnival revellers storm the town hall. In addition, there are rare events in which it briefly regains its former grandeur as a big stage. This occurred in 2023, when the Telekom Baskets (Bonn’s professional basketball team) were celebrated by their fans after winning the Champions League. Although there was a good turn-out by the fans, they still did not fill the market square, not unlike the party-goers on Carnival Sunday. It was a completely different scenario when Charles de Gaulle signed the city’s Golden Book on the September 5, 1962. He stepped out onto the staircase together with Konrad Adenauer to a storm of enthusiasm. The market square and the Bischofsplatz were packed with people, who were overflowing into the Sternstraße and the Wenzelgasse. After delivering a seemingly extemporaneous speech in German, the then assassination-threatened French President strode down the stairs and was swallowed up by the crowd, much to the dismay of his security staff.
The steps of Bonn’s old City Hall have seen similar scenes time and again, especially when Bonn was the capital city of Germany. The list of visitors ranged from Theodor Heuss, who addressed the German people from the steps immediately after his election as the first Federal President, to John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Queen Elizabeth of England in 1965, and as late as 1989 when Gorbachev visited. Not all occasions were as spectacular as in the 60s, and over time, state visits became routine. Nevertheless, the steps of the town hall remained something of a stage for the Bonn Republic. The reason for this was mundane: the government district was somewhat remote and, as a provisional arrangement, had no representative assembly area. The market square helped out.
Incidentally, the same applies to demonstrations. Up until the 1980s the Bonn market was the most important demonstration site in the Federal Republic of Germany. The steps of the town hall also played a role there – perhaps most ingloriously on 10 April 1973, when members of a communist splinter group, hidden by a student demonstration against the visit of the South Vietnamese president to Germany, stormed the town hall and smashed its interior. It was only then that, because of the sheer volume, the protests against rearmament had to move to the Hofgarten. They may not have been aware of the meaning of their actions in terms of the carnival. At that time, we lived nearby, and I still remember how the demonstrators, linked arms and running, turned from Suttnerplatz into Rathausgasse, chanting the name of Ho Chi Minh. The rest is history.
The staircase was also the scene of much earlier revolutionary events: on 20 March 1848, for example, Gottfried Kinkel led a procession of citizens, professors and students. Armed with the black, red and gold flag of the democratic movement, he climbed the steps of the town hall and spoke, as Carl Schurz put it, with ‘wondrous eloquence’. Things were less lively on October 24, 1923 when local separatists, under the protection of French soldiers, climbed the steps at 6 am and claimed the ‘Rhenish Republic’. The nightmare was soon over due to a lack of support from the population.
The importance the Bonn market once played, both in front of the town hall and with the town hall steps as a natural stage, has now almost been forgotten. Recently a major radio station, the SWR, stated that de Gaulle gave his speech in the Hofgarten. And Bonn only occasionally remembers the possibilities that the town hall panorama offers. A big festival where the stage covers the old town hall is a wasted opportunity. Nowadays, the people who make the most of the opportunities are the bridal couples who get married at this historic site. They are happy to use the flight of steps for their guests to form a guard of honour, thus preserving some of the charm of the place. It’s just a shame that the delivery truck traffic is increasingly disrupting the beautiful images. This impression may be subjective.
by Helga Moser | Nov, 2024 | Bonn Sights, culinary, EN, points of interest, Rhine region, tradition
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 decorations and bright lights. The enticing aromas of mulled wine, cinnamon, roasted almonds and delicious food inevitably lift the spirits.
At the foot of the Bonn Minster, the city is teeming with life, but at the same time it feels homely . I feel transported back in time and imagine how our Bonn ancestors came to this square in the late Middle Ages to stock up on supplies for the coming winter, to enjoy good food and drink and, of course, to exchange the latest gossip.
Today, more than half a millennium later, it is not much different. In a large part of the 160 wooden stalls placed between Remigiusplatz, Münsterplatz and Friedensplatz, you can buy beautiful and useful items, including hand-made crafts, which make for great Christmas presents for family and friends. Here you will find unique items that are not available in the usual department stores. Inspired by the lovingly decorated displays, you’ll discover gifts that you would never have thought of while lounging on your sofa at home. For example, original jewellery pendants or maybe hand-knitted socks made of pure wool for your daughter, who always has cold feet? And for your girlfriend, who already has everything, a new Christmas ornament is always a hit! And of course, every once in a while I need a little refreshment. The Flammlachs (salmon cooked on an open fire) smells seductive, but I usually return to the Rhine-region classic, Reibekuchen, potatoe pancakes with apple compote. In addition, the sounds of Christmas can be heard from everywhere. The happy laughter of children coming from the direction of the historic carousel reminds me of the dear little ones in my family. For them, I have to make a choice between a handcrafted wooden toy and a cute Perlgraupentier (a figurine of a German miner). Slowly, the shopping bag I brought with me is proving not big enough. But I don’t need to worry because one of the traditional stalls has a selection of beautiful baskets: I have been eyeing them for a long time. No sooner said than done – now I just have to get the hand-made wrapping paper and my Christmas market tour will be a roaring success.
A toast is in order! Relaxing as Christmas approaches, I treat myself to an eggnog, a drink made from white wine, egg liqueur, vanilla and sugar, served hot and garnished with whipped cream. It actually sounds rather fearsome, but it is surprisingly delicious and hits the spot. The fact that I’m standing here alone doesn’t bother me at all. Because we are in the Rhineland it takes no time at all before I am chatting with a fellow eggnog-drinker about the Christmas season.
Of course, this will not be my only visit to a Christmas market. Like so many, I will meet up with friends for a mulled wine on numerous occasions throughout the season. It sweetens up the dreary weather – and when it’s bitter cold outside, the drinks taste even better!
And soon, I’ll be going to the Bonn Greeters’ Christmas market meet-up, which takes place every year. We’ll be swapping anecdotes and information, taking a stroll through the rows of stalls and sampling the wares at various stands. Of course, it’s all preparation for when we show guests around the market, as Christmas markets are one of the top points of interest.
The Christmas market is open until 22 December, with stalls open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and food and drink stalls open until 9:30 p.m. on Sundays to Thursdays, and until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. And for those who don’t want to leave the cosy setting so quickly, Bonn Tourism has planned a Three Kings market this year for the first time, which will extend beyond the pre-Christmas period. It will take place on Remigiusplatz from 27 December up to and including Monday, 6 January.
by Helga Moser | Nov, 2024 | culinary, EN, Rhine region, tradition
For many years, Ingo Daniels has invited his former neighbours from Sonnenpütz in Bonn Kessenich to the annual Kesselskuchen meal. Here, hospitality meets Rhine region’s culinary delights. Traditionally, this Rhine region speciality is served on St. Martin’s Day.
In the past, goose was too expensive for the poorer population, so the ‘poor people’s meal’, the Kesselskuchen, was served.
The dish consists of: 
~ potatoes (mealy cooking variety)
~ onions
~ eggs
~ bacon (or sliced sausage)
~ salt and pepper.
The recipes, as well as the names of the dish, vary somewhat from region to region. Alternate names of the dish are: Döppekooche, Dippekuchen, Potthucke or Kesselsknall. To get a nice crust, the dish is prepared in a cast-iron pan (in a cauldron in the Middle Ages) and roasted in the oven at 220ºC for 2-3 hours.
I, the only member of the Greeter family living in Sonnenpütz, supplies the homemade apple puree that is often served with it. I make it using the old apple variety ‘Kaiser Wilhelm’ that are growing in my garden in Kessenich.
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