Nowadays, Bonn remains a major centre of politics and administration. The city hosts 12 United Nations institutions, and is the seat of some of the largest German corporations, chiefly in the areas of telecommunications and logistics (e.g. Deutsche Post, Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile or Deutsche Welle).
Bonn is also famous for being the birthplace of classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Another famous composer, Robert Schumann (1810-1856) lived the last years of his life and died in Bonn.
Founded by the Romans as a military settlement on the Rhine, the first century wooden fort was known as Castra Bonnensis or simply Bonna. It was located at a strategic position on the Roman road (now known as Römerstraße) linking the provincial capitals of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) and Moguntiacum (Mainz).
The fort was later rebuilt in stone, and was designed to accommodate a full legion (over 5,000 men), with houses of varying size, barracks, stables and a military jail.. It was the largest ancient fort of its kind, covering an area of 250,000 m2.
Occupied by Roman legions until the last decade of the empire in the 5th century, with allied Frankish tribes supplying most of the troops against other Germanic invadors. After the fall of Rome, the fort was used by Frankish kings, who renamed the place "Bonnburg".
The medieval town grew around the Münster basilica (pictured right), south of the Roman settlement. Many Romanesque edifices were constructed between the 11th and the 13th century.
From 1597 to 1794, Bonn was the residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne. Bonn's characteristic Baroque architecture owes a lot to Clemens August of Bavaria (1700-1761), who during his life accumulated the titles of Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Paderborn, Münster, Hildesheim, and Osnabrück, and a Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (among others !). In addition to his official palace in Bonn, Clemens August had a private residence built for himself in Brühl (halfway between Bonn and Cologne), the monumental Palace of Augustusburg.
Another memorable ruler was Maximilian Franz of Austria (1756-1801, ruled 1784-1794), who founded the university and the spa quarter of Bad Godesberg, a few kilometres south of the city centre. He is also the one who financed Ludwig van Beethoven's first journey to Vienna.
Taken by the French Revolutionaries in 1794, Bonn remained under French control until 1815. The Congress of Vienna granted it to Prussia, which kept it until the unification of Germany and creation of the Second Reich in 1871.
In the aftermath of World War II, Bonn was in the British zone of occupation. In 1949, it became the provisional capital of West Germany (instead of Frankfurt, that was originally proposed), thanks to the advocacy of Konrad Adenauer, who became the first Chancellor of West Germany (1949-1963). Because of its relatively small size for a capital city, Bonn was sometimes jokingly referred to as the Bundesdorf (Federal Village).
The old town is centered around the Market Square (Markt) and the Minster Square (Münsterplatz). Parts of the old city wall have survived to the East, in the Stadtgarten ("city gardens").
Standing on the Market Square, the pink-and-grey Rococo-style Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus, built in 1737) is one of the finest buildings left by Clemens August of Bavaria (=> see History above). It is the office of the mayor and is used for official receptions. Quite a few famous heads of state have come here, such as French president Charles de Gaulle or US president J.F. Kennedy.ust south of the Old Town Hall is the Palace of the Prince-Electors (Kurfürstliches Schloss), erected in 1705, and used as the main official residence of the Electors of Cologne until 1818. Since then, it has become the main building of the University of Bonn. At the back of the palace spreads the Hofgarten (park) , where is situated the Academic Art Museum (Akademisches Kunstmuseum). A bit further south is another university-owned museum, the Arithmeum.
Take the broad, chestnut tree-lined Poppelsdorfer Allee. At the end you will reach the Poppelsdorf Castle (Poppelsdorfer Schloss) in the Botanical Garden. It was designed in the Baroque style by French architect Robert de Cotte and constructed from 1715 till 1746. It served as the Bonn residence of the Archbishop of Cologne. Heavily damaged by Allied air raids in 1944, the palace was restored in a humbler fashion in 1955.
Münsterplatz owes its name to the Romanesque Bonn Minster (Bonner Münster), one of Germany's oldest churches. Its construction started around 1050, on the assumed site where Cassius and Florentius, two Christian Roman legionaries were beheaded for refusing to fight against fellow Christians (an early Christian belief promptly abandoned in the Middle Ages, once most of the European population had converted to Christianity). The minster, famous for its five spires, was completed in 1239. It was badly damaged by wars in 1583-1589 and 1689, and extensively restored in 1883-1889, 1934 and after WWII. During its long history, it served briefly as the cathedral of the Archbishopric of Cologne. It now has the rank of "Papal basilica".
The western side of Münsterplatz is occupied by the Palais Fürstenberg (now the central post office). Just opposite stands the Beethoven Memorial (Beethovendenkmal), a bronze statue of the composer erected in 1845 in honour of his would-be 75th birthday, and mostly financed by Franz Liszt. Fans of the musical genius won't miss his birthplace, now called Beethoven Haus (pictured right), at 20, Bonngasse, 100m north of the Markt. On display are his last piano, and a brass ear trumpet (used by the composer to combat his gradual deafness), as well as private letters, musical scores and other personal belongings.
Geographical Location:
Bonn, the gateway to the romantic Middle Rhine, is situated north of the Siebengebirge
hills on the southern end of the Cologne
Embankment (50° 43’14’’ north, 7° 7’4’’ east).
Roughly three quarters of the city are situated west of the Rhine and one quarter east of
the river.
Climate and Weather:
Temperate weather dominates in winter, bringing little snow and few days of frost (
56) or
ice (10). Summers are continental; with an average temperature in July of over 18° C,
there are a number of summery days (33) and very hot days (5). Average annual
precipitation: 669 mm.
City Area:
Total area: 141.2 km2. Built
-
up area: 46.3 km2,
or roughly one third of the total city area
(33%). Forests extend over 39,4 km2.
Tallest Structures:
The radio transmission mast on Venusberg (180m), the Post Tower (162m), the Main
Building of the United Nations Campus (114.7m), the smokestacks of the
Southern
Thermal Power Station (98.8m) and the recycling plant (98m), the crossing tower of the
Münster Basilica (81.4m), and the Stadthaus (City Hall) (72.1m).
Population Structure:
As in 2006: 314,020 inhabitants (149,652 male, 164,368 female). 42,249
foreigners from
171 different countries are registered in Bonn. Added to this number are around 800
diplomats, embassy personnel, United Nations staff and their families
-
a total of about
2,500 persons. The largest group is the Turks (15.4%), followed by
the Moroccans (4.9%),
Italians (4.6%), cit
i
zens of Serbia & Montenegro (4.4%), Poles (3.9%), Russians (3.1%),
Spaniards (2.7%), Chinese (2.9%), Greeks (2.4%), Iraqi (2.8%), Ukrainians (2.2%),
Portuguese (2.1%), French (2.0%), US
-
Americans (1.9%), Iranian
s (1.9
%), citizens of
Bosnia & Herzego
wi
na (1.6%) and of Slovenia and Croatia (1.2%). 27.1% of the foreign
citizens come from EU member states and 9.4% from countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS
-
former USSR
).
Approximately 41.3% of
Bonn's population is Catholic, 23.2% Protestant and 35.5% is of
other religious denominations, agnostic or atheist
The first traces of human existence in what is now the City of Bonn date from as far back
as 50,000 years ago, but only the dog of Oberkassel has risen to lasting fame. After all, it
is the world's oldest recorded pet, havi
ng accompanied a human couple at around 12,0
00
B.C. The
elevated fortification on Venusberg is a good 6,000 years old, the oldest in
Germany, even older than Babylon and the Egyptian pyramids.
In the 1
st
century B.C. the Germanic tribe of the Eburons liv
ed on the western side of the
Rhine. They were wiped out by Caesar during the Gallic War. In around 30 B.C. the
Ubie
r
s built a fortified settlement on the flood
-
resistant site where the Bonner Altstadt
quarter is situated today and with which the name of B
onn is associated.
Bridging
When Emperor Augustus prepared to conquer free Germania on the eastern side of the
Rhine and turn it into a Roman province, a general, who was also his stepson, built a
bridge spanning the Rhine from Bonn to the other side in
around 11 B.C. He secured it
militarily, a good reason for Bonn to celebrate its first written mention by the Roman writer
Florus over 2000 years ago.
In order to prepare for the founding of Cologne, successors to Augustus transferred the
two legions
s
t
ationed there, one to Neuss, the other to Bonn, where it was based north of
the Altstadt. The "
C
astra Bonnensia", or Bonn
camp
, was immediately put to the test by
the Batavi revolt recounted by the famous historian Tacitus. The camp accommodated
Roman sold
iers for nearly four centuries as part of the Lower Germanic Limes. Seeing as
the soldiers needed provisions, a civilian settlement grew up around the camp to provide
supplies and skills. Moreover, many estates were established in the surrounding area.
Abo
ut 14,000 people may have lived in Bonn in the 2
nd
century, many more than during
the Middle Ages that followed the Roman presence.
The town patrons of Bonn, Cassius and Florentius, two early Christian martyrs, were
buried in one of the Roman cemeteries.
In around the year 400 A.D. one of the first
churches was built on their grave, the precursor of the Bonner Münster (Bonn Minster),
which was completed in the 13
th
century. The canonry convent, adjacent to the church,
one of the finest in the Archbishopric
of Cologne, became a religious and cultural centre.
The Marketplace
At around the turn to the second millennium the growing settlement swallowed the market
village of Dietkirchen situated on the site of the former Roman camp and adopted Bonn as
its nam
e. During the High Middle Ages the ruler of Bonn, the Archbishop of Cologne,
enlarged an ancient junction, turning it into Bonn's large marketplace, a first step towards
the civic settlement dominated by business and trade becoming a town. In 1244
Archbish
op Konrad von Hochstaden, founder of the Cologne Cathedral, ordered the
citizens of Bonn to fortify their town with a wall. Later, in 1286, his successor, Siegfried
von Westerburg, gave permission for a council to be elected: Bonn was now a fully
-
fledged c
ountry town and part of the Cologne electorate.
The archbishops frequently visited their town of Bonn situated as it was next to Godesburg
palace. After the Battle of Worringen it became their favourite residence, seeing as the
victorious citizens of Col
ogne now only opened the practically free imperial town to their
Archbishop in his capacity as head of the church, but no longer as the ruler of the
electorate.
7
In the 16
th
century, Bonn
-
as the political centre of the Archbishopric of Cologne
-
became
the focus of a bid to support the reformation.
Bonn, officially designated as capital and
residential city in 1597, owes its development as a baroque city to the five archbishops
and electors of Cologne from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach.
Prince Elec
tor Joseph Clemens built the Residential Palace (now the University) and
Poppelsdorf Palace
in the
early
18
th
century
.
Clemens August, his successor, completed
the building works, had the tree
-
lined Poppelsdorfer Allee boulevard laid out and entrusted
the
famous architect Balthasar Neumann with the building of the Holy Staircase on the
Kreuzberg. In neighbouring Brühl, the splendid Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces
were built. They have become famous throughout the world on account of sumptuous
state rece
ptions given there by the Federal Republic of Germany. At about the same time,
in 1738, Prince Elector Clemens August laid the cornerstone of Bonn's Old Town Hall.
After 180 years of Wittelsbach rule over the Rhine, there was little time left for the last
two
electors of Cologne to carry on the development of Bonn. In 1770, during the time of Max
Friedrich von Königsegg, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the Bonngasse, and Max
Franz of the Habsburg dynasty, the younger son of Empress Maria Theresia, founded
the
beautiful classicist Redoute ballroom and casino. It was also the venue of important state
receptions during Bonn's period as Germany's capital.
In 1794 the revolutionary French occupied Bonn, the time of the electors of Cologne had
passed, the town
became impoverished, the number of inhabitants decreased. At the
Congress of Vienna (1812/13), the Rhineland was allotted to the Kingdom of Prussia. For
the first time, the Bonn region was put under one common rule following the centuries of
governance fro
m Cologne on the western side of the Rhine, and "
B
ergisch" rule on the
eastern side.
Town and Gown
The founding in 1818 of the Rheinische Friedrich
-
Wilhelms
Sagano Bamboo Forest is one of the most amazing natural sites in Japan.
One of the most interesting facts about Sagano Bamboo Forest is the sound which the wind makes while it blows amongst the bamboo. Amazingly enough, this sound has been voted on as one of the ”one hundred must-be-preserved sounds of Japan” by the Japanese government.
As mentioned he Sagano Bamboo Forest is not too far from Kyoto’s main streets – (30 minutes by train).
Another interesting fact – the railing on the sides of the road is composed out of old, dry and fallen parts of bamboo.
In the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan there is a popular tourist district called Arashiyama. The area has been a frequent destination since the Heian Period (794-1185), when nobles would enjoy its natural setting. Arashiyama is particularly popular during the cherry blossom and fall color seasons. Within this area lies the famous bamboo forest of Sagano. [Source]
There is a walking path that cuts through the bamboo grove making for a pleasant and popular trek. When the sun is shining and there’s a gentle breeze to cause the trees to sway, the setting becomes quite picturesque. The bamboo in this grove is still used to manufacture various products such as cups, boxes, baskets and mats in the area.
Several travellers online have mentioned that the bamboo forest path can get quite busy. Hopefully if you visit this beautiful area, it’s not too busy so you can pause to admire the beauty and tranquillity of this special place.
The Sagano Bamboo Forest is located to the northwest in Kyoto Basin, Japan, covering an area of 16 square kilometers. It is one of the most beautiful natural environment in entire Japan, not only because of its natural beauty but also because of the sound the wind makes as it blows through the thick bamboo grove.
"The sound of the wind in this bamboo forest has been voted as one of "one hundred must-be-preserved sounds of Japan" by the Japanese government. Back in the 1870s when Edison was looking for a good bamboo as a material of a filament for his early light bulb, the governor of Kyoto recommended two sources for bamboo, this being one of them. Edison used the other one."The Arashiyama Bamboo Path is a 500 meter (1/3 of a mile) pathway through the Sagano Bamboo Forest between Nonomiya-jinja shrine and Tenryu-ji temple in Kyoto. The Sagano Bamboo Forest is one of Japan’s national treasures. It is about a half-hour out of the ancient capital of Kyoto and covers a total area of about 15 square kilometres. It is spectacularly beautiful – not just visually, but aurally as well. The sound of culms knocking together and the wind sighing through the upper branches is an extraordinary sensory experience, as is the filtered, moving light and shade.
Bamboo is still used extensively in Japan in art, building, furniture, paper making and textiles. Historically, there would have been many similar forests as, in common with most Asian countries, the Japanese have a reverence for bamboo and all it provides to the community. Unfortunately, population and farming pressures throughout Asia have resulted in a significant decline in bamboo forests in the past 30 years.
The genera here is Phyllostachys edulis, better known as Moso. It is a running variety that originated in China. The shoots are highly prized as a food and the long straight culms are up to 25 metres in length, making them excellent for building.
While Moso is not suitable for most gardens, there are many totally non-invasive clumping bamboos that well bring exceptional beauty to your home. There are even temperate varieties capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -20F.
Arashiyama district is located 10 km west from the Kyoto city center and has long been a scenic leisure spot with mountains and a river. Ancient aristocrats had their villas here a thousand years ago and enjoyed making literature and poetry. Then Buddhist temples were built over the centuries, and many restaurants and hotels were built, and today, the area became one of the most popular tourist sites in Kyoto. Togetsukyo bridge, as the area’s landmark, dates back to 9th century and provides a good photo taking spot for visitors today.
When the area gets very crowded in spring and autumn seasons, especially during the period of cherry blossom and fall foliage, you may want to eat lunchbox in the park by the river if weather is fine, instead of queueing for $10 noodle at a tourist restaurant. In summer and winter, the area is quieter and relaxing but the view of the mountain is not very good. So ideally, you should be there in early morning in high seasons to enjoy the best of Arashiyama.
As it takes an hour to get there from the city center, I would only
recommend making a half-day or full day tour, if it includes the tram and boat,
for people who stay in Kyoto for three days or more. The sites to see
are Tenryuji temple, Monkey Park, and the walkway through the bamboo
forest.A rowing boat allows you to enjoy the views only available from being
out on the water. That used to be a pastime for noble people 1000 years
ago and now is popular with families and couples. There are choices of
boat types: a small boat for three people (1400 yen / hour), middle size
boat for two people which is manipulated by a man with a long pole
(3500 yen / half-hour), ten seats boat to view the cormorant fishing in
the summer night (Jul.1 to Sep. 15, 1700 yen /hour), and some more types
which serve lunch on board
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