6 Things to do when in Bonn
30 years of my life I lived in Bonn, a small but busy city in the shadow of Cologne. The city has always been a cornerstone between south and north, as the river of the Rhine coming from the south is leaving the Upper Middle Rhine Valley behind and opens to the northern Lower Rhine Region. But also between west and east, as the Rhine was a natural border, starting with the border between the Roman Empire and Germanic tribes, and later the French from the German states, and even later the city of Beuel across the river from the city of Bonn. But it also acted as a bridge between the two sides, with commerce flowing through on both axes. Bonn also features an old university, a political era after WW2, and the UN with several bureaus. Along this history it has become a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, mostly due to the influence of the politicians and diplomats over many decades and centuries.
Yet when people ask me, what’s the reason to go visit Bonn as a tourist, I’m always at a loss for words. Most of the famous sights are actually outside the city around Bonn, so recommending those would be like stating that Bonn itself doesn’t have much to offer. Those sights within the city that are cited everywhere — from the tourist information to the infamous Lonely Planet — are okayish. But not so interesting that anyone would take a detour to see Bonn. Honestly, the statue of Beethoven looks butt ugly, the Beethovenhaus is a tiny tourist trap and the churches in other cities look much more impressive. As a result, tourism in Bonn is mainly focussed on international tourists for conferences, health tourists and people stopping by on a river cruise for a few hours of exploration.
This is sad. Bonn has a lot unique things to offer. It encompasses more than 40 to 50 historical villages, each having its own history of up to 2000 years. But it is a bit hard to find out about it, so that’s why I want to list some routes to walk when in Bonn, that are not listed in every guide. Be aware that many links I use in this article are links to wikipedia pages with mediocre photos that have never been translated to English. Feel free to improve on that once you’ve taken a trip.
Short pilgrimage
The first one is not soooo secret, but I missed it for >25 years as no one told me about it. The Kreuzbergkirche on top of a hill is an impressive gem of architecture, and the nature around is also quite beautiful. The key is to start at the chapel Mordkapelle and the cloister next to it all the way down the hill, than follow the long steep pilgrims path up the hill with many little christian memorials on the sides which ends up at the Heilige Stiege and Kreuzbergkirche on top. Go inside the Stiege, walk around the church, enjoy the sight from the mirador, spot the spires of the Cologne Cathedral when the sky is clear, and then head back down the second pilgrims path.
Inner city hiking
As Bonn was actually a peninsula some 2000 years ago, the old sidearm of the Rhine called Gumme actually covered vast areas of the inner city. The most dominant relict of that sidearm can be seen in the steep flanks separating the high district of Venusberg along with the forest Kottenforst from the lower districts of Kessenich, Dottendorf, Friesdorf. At the top of this flank is a hiking path with many viewpoints across the river. This route features an old castle Rosenburg at the beginning, three viewpoints in the first three kilometers, a wildlife park in the forest, a huge outdoor playground, a barefoot path, lots of information about nature for kids, and finally the beautiful valley of the creek Engelsbach (creek of angels) with a bridge from a fairy tale.
Old glamour
While the southern quarter of Bad Godesberg is not the most beautiful one, it is the one I know most about because it’s where I grew up. As it was a separate city until 1969, it has its own city centre and a lot of historical villages. This walk starts in the oldest streets of Godesberg with half timbered houses, then moves on to the infamous restaurant Redüttchen in the garden house of the former ball house “Redoute”. In front of the Redoute and across the street are beautiful rose gardens, but the traffic is a bit loud. Walking south on the Kurfürstenallee several more historical buildings can be found — now housing public facilities like a music school, a citizen centre, a nursing home, a public bath, a youth centre, etc. On the end of this street, just behind another chapel Rigal’sche Kapelle, take a peek around the huge fences of the former embassy of the People’s Republic of China, to spot an impressive compound with totally uneuropean architecture.
Medieval
Right next to Alt-Godesberg, is the area of Godesberg with the oldest buildings: Muffendorf. Once a year there is a festival showing artisanal crafts and products in a street that is full of half timber houses many centuries old. You can do some wine tasting, and when you reach the southern end you pass an old palace Kommende and a church with parts that are almost a full thousand years old: Alt-St. Martin.
A real volcano
Yes, there is a crater of a volcano in Bonn. Sadly, it’s been dormant for 250k years by now. The Rodderberg is at the southern edge of Bonn. You can see the marvelous tuff formations that are left over from volcanic ashes, pick some blackberries and climb around a bit. The crater itself is a bit further to the south and barely visible, nowadays covered by a Reiterhof, which somewhat translates to “equestrian facility” but is so much more — it’s a German Dream of adolescent girls to live and work with horses. Take a short detour leaving Bonn and North Rhine-Westphalia and come back and head towards the Rhine to enjoy a great view at the Heinrichsblick — it’s the best place to watch the most beautiful castle Schloss Drachenburg and the Ruin of Burg Drachenfels in the setting sun.
Rheinromantik
The banks of the river rhine are very popular places. Many important buildings are strewn along the riverside, so walking or biking or skating along is always advisable. Starting in the historical village centre of Rüngsdorf with half timber buildings and old churches, walk south towards a tiny windowless chapel Marienkapelle in a roundabout, lit only by candles. Go down toward the Rhine, passing the former embassy of France. The Rheinhotel Dreesen has a winter garden/Biergarten that is quite popular. Following the river downstream several old villas can be spotted on the left side, and the parks of Panoramapark and Leserpark. Passing the almost invisible Villa Cahn and crossing the creek Godesberger Bach, another Restaurant/Biergarten can be found: the Schaumburger Hof with classic German dishes. Later on the mausoleum and the castle of Haus Carstanjen can be found. Leaving the rhine towards the west again, the American quarter of Bonn lies in front of you, a place that looks very different than the rest of the city due to it’s architecture and city planning with an all American approach. This route finishes at a very American protestant church.
Now that you’ve seen some of the hidden gems of Bonn, you can continue with the Rheinaue, the Bundesviertel, the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle, the Haus der Geschichte, the Museum Alexander König, the University Building, the Poppelsdorfer Schloss, the Botanical Garden, the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, and… *sigh*… if you really have to… go to the Beethovenhaus as well. Not to mention all the old and huge churches and cemeteries. But make sure to save some time for getting lost in the Südstadt south of the Poppelsdorfer Allee and the Altstadt north of the Stadthaus and the Combahnviertel around the Combahnstraße across the river — all three are very worthwhile to see, especially in spring time when the cherry trees are in full bloom.
