Bonn, in Beethoven's hometown

At midnight, the Princess was Cinderella again.

At midnight on June 0, 1991, the "provisional" capital of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) since 1949 returned the witness to Berlin.

But he kept some official centers and the title of Bundesstadt, a federal city.

And although he lost prominence, it is not that he returned to the grisaille.

Bonn has a long history that begins with the Roman legions of Drusus setting up their headquarters there to control the Rhine Valley. And it is back in full swing in 2020 for the 250th anniversary of its most illustrious son, Ludwig van Beethoven.

Although the bombs of World War II destroyed 80% of its buildings, the most important stages of the musician's time are preserved.

It touches the 300,000 residents, but its historic center can be explored on foot.

And it has a metro (and trams) to reach the neighborhoods and green areas that surround its core.

It pays to get hold of the WelcomeCard Bonn transport card (24 hours, 10 euros; 19 euros for the family) or practice

on the blue or red lines of the City Tour.

enlarge photo The Beethoven statue on Münsterplatz was erected in 1845 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Getty

9.00 For the walk of fame

The heart of Bonn is its main square or

, which offers a street market every morning: vegetable and fruit stalls, bread, cheeses, cold cuts and flowers.

Also

fast food or ethnic

.

It is presided over by the

with harmonious classical lines;

at its feet, the restaurant

(Markt, 4) gives tourists the look it had when Beethoven frequented it.

The 

 is one step away, on the Bonngasse

which leaves the square.

And a few meters away, the

tavern

(Bonngasse, 30) shows the busts of Beethoven and his father through its windows, as it was there that the father often went.

This short street is known as the walk of fame, because the effigies of illustrious neighbors are illuminated on the ground.

Like the marriage of musicians formed by Clara and Robert Schumann, whose grave is in the neighboring

(Bornheimer Str), the old cemetery, where Beethoven's mother also rests.

Opposite, the

(Noeggerathstrasse, 34), a huge seminary from the times of Leo XIII, combines the use of an elegant hotel and a residence for the elderly.

enlarge photo Cova Fernández

11.00 University oasis

A few blocks away, the

is a medieval gate with Roman traces, surrounded by busy shopping streets.

Any of them can take us to the

, the cathedral square, where the oldest statue of Beethoven (it was erected 18 years after his death in 1827) fixes its gaze on the bulk of the

This was built in the 12th century and is a good example of Rhenish Romanesque.

Just a few steps are enough to reach the green oasis of the university, in the

or palace of the Electors of Cologne, burned and risen from its ashes a lot of times.

More than 10% of Bonn's population are students.

They can be seen playing on the huge esplanade of the

at the end of which is the

of classical sculpture;

the avant-garde

and the

where the theologian Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) prepared his classes, four strides from his classroom in the Residence.

Next to it are the

and the

(Regina-Pacis-Weg, 7), bordering a municipal garden that leads to

, the old customs house: a splendid terrace on the Rhine where In the old days there was the faithful for the boats that plowed the river.

At the foot of this panoramic balcony follows the jetty, from where tourist boats depart (or stop) for Koblenz, upstream, or for Cologne and Düsseldorf, downstream, in journeys of a few hours ... or several days.

enlarge photo The Kunstmuseum focuses on German expressionist painters, such as August Macke.

Carlos Pascual

12.00 The diplomatic quarter

From Alter Zoll, Adenauerallee avenue runs parallel to the river, the axis of the so-called 

, the

mile, connected to lines 16, 63 and 67 of the metro.

The first museum to come

across

is the

, focused on post-1945 Germany. Later, the 

 and the

, an exhibition pavilion, form an avant-garde complex both for their architecture and for the green environment they generate;

the first focuses on German expressionists, such as August Macke (he has his house-museum in the old town).

This left bank of the Rhine is also called the diplomatic quarter, since it is home to

(Kaiser-Friedrich Str, 16), the former presidential headquarters, and other official buildings (some are visited).

To eat or recharge, you can head to the

restaurant

or venture up to the nearby

and enjoy the food and views of

on the 17th floor.

15.00 Rhine Valley view

The left bank of the river flows into

, which is now like a district of Bonn, but it was an important spa town and has retained some of its past splendor.

The right bank, on the other hand, is the vast natural area of

(“the seven mountains”, although there are many more).

At the so-called Drachenfels (dragon rock) there is a castle and a rack railway to go up.

In

a monastery was founded by 12th century monks which in the 19th century was displaced by a stately hotel, which is still the accommodation of official guests and through which every imaginable politician and intrigue of the 20th century has passed.

It is open to the public on foot, its rooms host posh weddings and its terraces provide a fabulous viewpoint over the romantic Rhine Valley.

19.00 Opera or

dance?

In Beethoven's hometown, it is normal for nightlife to be dominated by music.

The 

(Am Boeselagerhof, 1), by the Rhine, is a functional building with good programming.

A little further on, also overlooking the river, is the historic

(Wachsbleiche, 16), undergoing a renovation that will take years.

More lively rhythms, including rock, pop or

await at

or at the

nightclub

(Belderberg, 15).

And a relaxed atmosphere and the possibility of dining on the terrace of the

, always with the romantic Rhine as an accomplice.

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