Arriving as a first-time visitor to the city of Bonn it might seem hard to imagine that it was once the federal capital of West Germany. Despite its many attractions, its fine position in the Rhine Valley, its beautiful surroundings and world-famous former citizens, it never quite had the true flair of a capital. For a long time it was, affectionately yet ironically, nicknamed 'Bundeshauptdorf' (federal main village).
In 1770 one of the world's greatest composers, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born in a modest house in Bonngasse. Now called 'Beethoven Haus', it attracts a constant stream of visitors who come to stare devoutly at its facade and contents. Although Beethoven spent most of his productive years in Vienna, he still takes centre stage in Bonn. A more than life-sized bronze statue of him was unveiled in 1845, overlooking the large Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square). The sculpted head of Beethoven also gazes intently at all the music lovers who visit the Beethoven Hall.
If you visit the official Bonn website and go to the museum page, you will find an impressive list of nearly forty museums ). Three of these – and by far not the smallest &nash; have opened since Bonn lost its capital status:
- The Deutsches Museum Bonn. Founded in 1995, its impressive architecture and modern design represents well what the museum sets out to achieve: to be a site of the present, in constant dialogue with science and technology, showing examples from scientific research in Germany after 1945.
- The Kunstmuseum Bonn. An important part of the museum's collection also focuses on the period after 1945 and the work of German artists during this time. German expressionism is also well represented.
- The 'Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland' which translates as 'Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany'. Apart from this admittedly long title the hall can easily be recognised by its three pointed towers. It provides temporary home to a wide selection of world-class exhibitions of painting, photography, archaeology and much else.
Bonn is twinned with Oxford. It claims to be one of the oldest town partnerships, going as far back as 1947. Oxford's world famous university certainly shapes the city's character to a great extent. Having been a student in Bonn quite a few years ago, and now having lived in Oxford for nearly ten years I still find myself involuntarily comparing student life in both cities, even though I can only claim first hand experience of one. Both universities are spread over dozens of historical buildings throughout the cities. The ancient college buildings of Oxford seem a little bit like small fortresses in their own right. The main buildings of Bonn University are in fact two castles built during the eighteenth century under the reign of two archbishops of Cologne, Joseph Clemens and Clemens August. It's a lovely walk from the main university building, the former 'Residenzschloß', along 'Poppelsdorfer Allee', an avenue with old chestnut trees, to the former 'Lustschloß' (Pleasure Palace), which is surrounded by a beautiful botanical garden. This is the direction students of Natural Sciences have to head for. As a student of biology and philosophy I had the ultimate pleasure of commuting between the two castles almost every day of the week, including lovely breaks either in the Hofgartenwiese (a lawn behind the Residenzschloß), or the Lustschloß's botanical garden. Memories are made of this... I wonder what my memories would have been like had I been a student at Oxford University?
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