Bonn – A Concise History

The history of Bonn stretches back more than 2,000 years, from its beginning as a small Celtic fishing village to the city we know today. The Romans, recognizing the strategic advantages of the village, founded a fortress known as the ‘castra Bonnensia’ which remained a fortified garrison until the end of the Roman Empire. Under the Franconian kings the ‘castra Bonnensia’, which the Franconians renamed ‘Bonnburg’, became the stage for alternating armed conflict and less violent confrontation. The medieval city of Bonn grew up not within the boundaries of ‘Bonnburg’ but further away on the Roman burial ground. This later became known as ‘Villa Basilica’, a monastic sanctuary that attracted not only the clergy but also craftsmen, merchants and other traders.

During the 10th and 11th centuries Bonn was under the control of the Archbishops of Cologne, who were not only spiritual leaders but also the landowners. During the 14th century two German kings were crowned in the Bonn Minster – Friedrich the Handsome in 1314 and Karl IV in 1340. After the Archbishops had been driven out of Cologne, Bonn became their favorite domicile. From the latter part of the 16th century onwards, Bonn was generally regarded as the residential town of the Archbishops and Electors of Cologne.

Although Bonn remained intact during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) it was completely destroyed in 1689 during Ludwig IV’s wars after being besieged three times.

During the reigns of Elector Joseph Clemens and Elector Clemens August, Bonn began to flourish again. Baroque style palaces and parks were constructed which can still be seen today. It was during this period, 18th century, that Ludwig van Beethoven’s family moved to Bonn.

The era of peace and prosperity in Bonn’s history ended abruptly in 1794 when the French Revolutionary Forces entered the city reducing it to poverty. In 1815 the Vienna Convention gave Bonn, together with other towns along the Rhine, to Prussia. In 1818 the Prussian University in Rhineland was built in Bonn thus marking the beginning of new prosperity in the city, which soon became a fashionable residential center for the wealthy. Prior to the First World War, Bonn counted as one of the wealthiest cities in Germany.

Both the First and Second World Wars caused damage and economic loss to the city. However, after the latter war a provisional capital city had to be chosen for the Federal Republic of Germany and Konrad Adenauer, President of the Parliamentary Council, suggested Bonn as a possibility due to its geographic position – other contenders being Frankfurt, Kassel and Stuttgart. On 11 May 1949, the Parliamentary Council voted by 33 votes to 29 that Bonn became the new capital. Under the ‘Bonn Act’ of 1 August, 1969, the surrounding towns, Bad-Godesberg, Beuel, Mehlem etc., consolidated with Bonn to produce one conglomerate city.

With the German reunification on October 3, 1990, Berlin was reinstated as the capital city and on June 20, 1991, the Bundestag voted to transfer the seat of Government to Berlin. However, Bonn will continue as seat of government until the move is fully completed.

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