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BonnGermany
Germany facts and history in brief Bonn is a city in Germany (19th largest), in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the north of the Siebengebirge. It was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990. From 1288 to 1803 it was the residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne. Population: 312,295 (2005) Area: 141.22 km² Postal code: 53000-53359 Area code: 0228 Licence plate code: BN Website: bonn.de The history of the city dates back to Roman times. About 10 BC the Romans constructed a bridge across the Rhine close to a place called "Bonna". After the Roman defeat in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest this small camp was enlarged to become a fort for 7000 legionnaires. The fort became a town which remained after the Romans left. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Romanesque style Münster (cathedral) was built, and in 1597 it became the capital of the principality of Cologne. The town gained more influence and grew considerably. The elector Clemens August (ruled 1724-1761) ordered the construction of a series of Baroque buildings which still give the city its character. Another memorable ruler was Max Franz (ruled 1784-1794), who founded the university and the spa quarter of Bad Godesberg. In addition he was a patron of the young Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in the city in 1770; the elector financed the composer's first journey to Vienna. In 1794, the town was seized by French troops. It became a part of the Napoleonic Empire. In 1815 Bonn was taken by Prussia and remained a Prussian city until 1945. The town was of little relevance in these years. Following World War II Bonn was in the British zone of occupation, and in 1949 became the capital of West Germany. The choice of Bonn was made due to the advocacy of Konrad Adenauer, a former Cologne Mayor and Chancellor of West Germany after World War II, who came from that area. External links
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details). About Wikipedia Disclaimers This information was correct in December 2005. E. & O.E. Bonn was the Capital of West Germany when Sarolta and I visited the city in 1978. We have spent a couple of days to explore the sights of Boon. We did enjoy our stay.
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