Bonn

Bonn, city in west central Germany, on the Rhine River, near Cologne. Bonn is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen). The capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990, it remained the seat of government after Germany's 1990 unification, while Berlin was chosen as the national capital. In 1991 the German parliament voted to move the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin over an approximately 10-year period. The major phase of the move was completed by early 2000. A quiet, largely residential community centered around the University of Bonn (1786), the city became an important manufacturing center after World War II (1939-1945). Products include metal goods, chemicals, processed food, and office equipment.

Among the points of interest in Bonn is the imposing Münster (cathedral), a notable example of the late Romanesque style, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. Secular buildings include the Rathaus (town hall), completed in 1782; the house where composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 and which now houses the Beethoven Museum; and the buildings of the university. The Bundeshaus (house of parliament), built in the early 1950s, is located near the Rhine. Other points of interest are Villa Hammerschmidt, residence of the federal president, and Palais Schaumburg, headquarters of the federal chancellor.

Bonn, known as Castra Bonnensia to the Romans, was founded in the 1st century ad as one of the first Roman fortresses on the Rhine. The town acquired some importance when, in the mid-13th century, the archbishop of Cologne transferred his residence and seat of government to Bonn. Charles IV was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in the Münster in 1346. Because of Bonn's Protestant sympathies, it was repeatedly besieged by the Catholics during the Reformation. The French occupied the city in 1794, during the wars of the French Revolution; in 1815 control of Bonn passed to Prussia. Severely bombed during World War II, Bonn was occupied by American troops in 1945. In 1948 and 1949 the constitution of the state of West Germany was drafted in Bonn, which was chosen as the seat of the newly created state. A large body of civil servants and foreign diplomats moved into the city, and numerous public and private organizations established offices there. In 1969 Bonn was enlarged to take in ten neighboring towns and villages, including Bad Godesberg. A subway system was opened in 1975. In December 1993, the Rhine, swollen by record rains, flooded parts of Bonn, and river traffic was temporarily suspended between Bonn and Cologne. About one year later heavy rains and warm temperatures caused the river to flood again, with water reaching its highest levels in over two centuries in some parts of the river. Population (2005 estimate) 311,900.