Botanical Gardens Bonn

Tropical Greenhouses, giant trees and useful plants.

Right in the heart of Bonn, you can enjoy tropical splendour in the
conservatories of the famous Botanical Garden at the Poppelsdorf Castle.

Here you can see some 11,000 plant species, that is several times the number of species occurring naturally in Germany, cultivated on its 13 hectares.

The Bonn University Botanical Gardens are one of the oldest and most
traditional botanical gardens in Germany and are conveniently located within walking distance of the main station just next to the Poppelsdorf Castle.

Open daily 9 – 18 hrs except Saturdays (March – October).

Admission is free of charge.

An English leaflet about the gardens is available from the secretariat or as a download from HERE.

Do you have a passion for plants and gardening? Then why not get in touch with the Friends of the University Botanical Gardens Bonn. The Friends of the Gardens run an extensive programme of events ranging from general garden tours, practical workshops, regular lectures to day trips to places of natural interest and study tours.

For further information contact the garden office on 0228/735523 or www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/botgart/

For guided tours in English please contact the Bonn Botanisch Führungsservice:
Frau Dr. Ulrike Sobick on 0228/2497903
Mon – Fri between 19 – 21 hrs.

Popularity: 26% [?]

The Last Curtain

Now it’s fact – The Metropol Cinema/Theatre will soon be only a footnote in the history of Bonn. Despite a petition with around 46000 signatures the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVerwG) Leipzig has decided that the Metropol has no protection as a Listed Building because of renovations made to it.

The Metropol is/was Germany’s last Cinema built in Art Deco Style still standing and saw in it’s long history some of the greatest german Movie Stars not just on it’s screen but also as guests – Zara Leander and Claudia Cardinale amongst them. It became a listed building in 1984 after plans had been revealed to knock it down in favour of a shopping complex. All seemed well until the owners filed for insolvence and the only ones interested in buying the building were property developers for shops.

The Local people formed an initiative ‘Rettet Des Metropol’ and gathered some 46000 signatures. Goodwill was not enough though. What was needed, but not forthcoming, was interest in using the building for Cultural use.  In the end, despite lots of talking, no one would put their money down.

Last August the High Court in Münster judged that major repairs made after 1987 to the building were so far reaching that they constituted total renovation. However true to the original the repairs were, they are no longer the original walls so to speak – and you cannot, they decided, restrain people from knocking down copies of originals.  The renovators it seems were caught between Devil and deep blue sea:  Making the Cinema safe and usable for patrons involved extensive repairs – including the addition of a lift.  These repairs in effect destroyed the one thing that could later save the building – it’s historic authenticity.

Now the dust has again settled on the old wooden Metropol Stage (or copy thereof?) and Thalia are expected to turn the inside into a bookshop. If you don’t know what one of those looks like then walk round the corner to Bouvier – there is one there already. Or take a train to Neumarkt in Cologne and you can even find a genuine  Thalia there.

Don’t go looking for an Art Deco Cinema anywhere in Germany though – there isn’t one.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Federal Republic is 60

This year sees the 60^th Anniversary of Germany’s Federal Republic.  The BRD (or Buntes Republic Deutschland as musician Udo Lindenberg famously called it) was born in Bonn so naturally Bonn will be celebrating.   Many of our Seasonal Celebrations such as the Museums Mile and Beethoven Festivals will accordingly have Federal Republic motifs this year but the whole party kicks off this coming weekend.  The (rather frighteningly!) titled ‘Long Night of Democracy’ begins on Saturday 23 May when all Museums on the Museums Mile , Villa Hammerschmidt, the World Conference Centre and parts of the UN Campus will open their gates, doors, Portcullis’ or whatever.

So, lots to do and see is promised.  Lots of Tourists are promised too,  so for those wishing to escape the  Federal Republic my recommendation:  a visit to the Bunker Museum in Ahrweiler.  The most expensive building in the BRD was built in the 1960’s to protect 3000 people in the event of a Nuclear Strike.  I suspect  that unless you were a member of Bonns Government at the time you would not have had an invitation then – so make the most of it now.

More details: Details

Popularity: 76% [?]

Mayday!

So, did you wake up this morning and find a tree outside the door with your name on it?  No, I didn’t either, but in case you were wondering, here is a reminder of what it’s all about…

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The Maibaum and it’s British equivalent the Maypole, probably date from German Paganism so it’s only fair that one of the oldest illustrations of a Maypole, The 1590 fresco by Hans Donauer, is to be found in Münich. The Germans, being German I guess, have always taken their Maypole  duties very seriously. From the 16^th Century whole communities would organize the cutting and erecting of a pole (usually Hawthorn or Birch) which had to be at least 100 ft in height, bolted upright and guarded night and day because stealing someones Maibaum was serious business.

Of course for this serious task the German’s appointed a ‘Maibaumchef’ and proceeded to draw up a long list of equally serious rules  – the most important being that in stealing a Maibaum “No force shall be used”. Entire villages were mobilized to prepare and protect the tree although how they would do so sans force is not documented.   One can almost hear the cries of  “You can take our horses, you can take our women, but you will NEVER take our Maibaum!”

I was a little disappointed after reading all this stirring information. Our Maibaum in Kessenich certainly sits happily in the right place – centre of the ‘village’ – beside the Nicholas Church.  Even without a tape measure and ladder though I was pretty certain it wasn’t the regulatory 100 ft high.   When I came to photograph it  I was not wrestled to the ground by ten heavily built Morris Men bells a jangling.  An elderly man looked at me warily it’s true, he walked quickly away to return armed with nothing more dangerous than a watering can with which he proceeded to wet the nearby roses.

The Kessenich Maypole

Perhaps more emotion these days is attached to a variation of the theme – ‘Liebesmaien’.

Here the work is not team oriented but undertaken by individual, young, love-smitten men. Aim of the game being to erect a small tree (usually Birch) outside the house of the object of ones affections.  There are a fair few of these about in my neighbourhood but I never see anyone coming or going from the houses – maybe they are too embarassed to risk being asked if they are the subject of a tree declaration.  For those of you who never saw it on ‘Blue Peter’ here is how it’s done:

A heart made from wood or stiff card is attached to the Birch tree (or branches thereof) stating the name of the intended recipient (presumably so that your girlfriend doesn’t think you have a thing going for her mother?). This is collected at the end of May and is usually rewarded with an invitation to a picnic/BBQ. Women’s Libbers will be pleased to hear there are even so called “Schaltjahren” when a girl can take the upper hand (or tree in this case).

Digging still deeper into tradition (gardening pun intended)  I discovered records of village sales, with Auctions of May brides involving all unmarried girls younger than sixteen. I can’t speak for seeing any of this around here – but who knows what they get up to in Dottendorf?!

Popularity: 52% [?]

Bonn Marathon 2009

Around 22,000 weary legs found their way around the Rhein-Energie-Marathon circuit in Bonn on Sunday.

The 11,000 or so owners of said legs had a day of sunshine which was better suited to those watching than those actually ‘doing’.  Not surprisingly then there were no records broken.  Mens winner Joash Mutai spent most of his race alone without even a pacer for company.  John Kitui, Mutai’s likely hardest opponent and winner in 2006, had been unable to obtain a Visa in time for the Race.  His other likely challenger, Richard Ngolepus,  hobbled out with a foot injury after 25 km.   Womens’ winner, 25 year old kenyan  Rosina Kiboino,  was a surprise however, winning in only her second Marathon and first outside of Kenya.  Favourite, Moldavia’s Valentina Delion who won in 2005 and 2006 finished second and just missed out on a hat-trick of wins.

Here a gallery of images.  Some of them winners who made it onto the podium – others just winners who made it round the course!

Marathon Images

Popularity: 39% [?]

A Host of Golden Daffodils!

This suggestion for an day out was first publised on the BEN website in 2005 – and still very popular -

The amazing sight of millions of daffodils in bloom in the Perlenbachtal and Oleftal valleys of the Eifel can be seen every year from around mid-April to mid-May.

Many many years ago the forest pines and fir trees were cut back to enable enough light to get through for the wild daffodils (Narcissuspseudonarcissus) to blossom and multiply.

A good place to see them is to drive on the B258 towards Monschau. Near Höfen, take the B399 towards Kalterherberg, past the church, keep straight on, at the end of the village when you see the sign post for Malmedy, you turn left towards Alzen and/or follow the signs to “Narzissen” and park at “Gut Heistert” car park. From here you can follow the yellow flower signs on a 2 km or 7 km round walk on fairly easy footpaths if you wish whatever you decide to do visitors must keep to the paths and refrain from picking any flowers or plants. The 2 km Rundwanderung is marked Orange and the 7 km Rundwanderung is marked Yellow. At weekends you may not be “wandering lonely as a cloud”, as it’s a popular area for hikers. Given a good map, you can walk all day in fairly wild countryside, mostly at over 550m altitude, so dress warmly. Any of the areas marked NSG (Naturschutzgebie) are likely to have wild daffodils or other protected species. In June and July you might see the Arnica plant in flower as it too grows wild here and there but be careful, not only is it a protected species it is only a natural aid to ailments if applied externally – it can be  poisonous if swallowed. With so many wild flowers the area is also a natural habitat and crunching ground firstly for caterpillars and when the weather gets warmer many different varieties of butterflies.

Hoefen and Monschau are also worth visiting; Hoefen for its very high hedges that give shelter from the chilly Eifel winds, and Monschau for its picturesque buildings that attract vast crowds at weekends.(best park outside the town).

If you contact the tourist board they will send you a map of how to get there as well as times of tours – though all information is in German. Although you can speak English if you phone.

www.monschau.de Email: touristik@monschau.de Tel. 02472/3300

Popularity: 100% [?]

A Walk or Bike Ride in the Eifel!

READY FOR A WALK OR CYCLE IN THE EIFEL?  A very good place to start is Nettersheim. (see www.nettersheim.de)

{mosimage}You can even leave the car behind and get there by train, from Bonn, changing in  Euskirchen. From the station or car park follow signs to
Naturschutzzentrum, a field-study-centre which offers an interesting programme for children and adults, of natural history activities and suggestions and maps for walks in the area. You can also hire bikes there.

One of the simplest walks to find goes alongside the river Urft going up-river towards Blankenheim, passing a reconstructed lime-kiln, a picnic place/playground, a Roman pond, quarry, temple and  milestone,
and in summer lots of wild-flowers. In the other direction, going downstream you can walk all the way to Cologne along the Römerkanalwanderweg. This is a 100 km-long footpath, marked by a black-and-white tunnel symbol, which follows the Roman water-pipe
bringing sweet fresh drinking water from the Eifel to Cologne. In places the tunnel is visible and there are explanatory signs telling you what you are looking at.

But if you just want a good walk, the first 42 km of the path, between Nettersheim and Euskirchen-Stotzheim, offers a variety of scenery;
river, hills , woods, villages, farmland etc. And you are never very far  from “civilisation” offering food, drink, overnight accommodation, or even a station from where you can catch a train home!

See the “Wanderkarte 1:25000- Nettersheim-Kall”. Or ask at the Naturschutzzentrum for suggested walks. Or consult the Nettersheim web-site.

Further details and maps of the Roman water supply system (an amazing feat of civil engineering), and the footpath,  are in “Der Roemerkanal-Wanderweg” by Klaus Grewe.1988…….ISBN3-92 1805-16-3.

(JK)

Popularity: 7% [?]

A Day out in the Netherlands

Nature and art enthusiasts will both enjoy a summer day at the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterloo, the Netherlands. 200 km. northwest of Bonn, this former estate of Helene and Anton Kröller-Müeller, a wealthy Dutch industrialist, is now home to a wildlife preserve as well as the Kröller-Müeller Museum and sculpture garden.

Cars are allowed on the main roads of the 5,400 hectare park, though visitors are encouraged to borrow one of the park’s complimentary “white bicycles” and explore the 42 km of cycle paths that traverse its varied landscapes. Camping, horseback riding, picnicking and walking are also encouraged.

Last October, the Museum celebrated the 150th birthday of Vincent van Gogh with an exhibit, Vincent & Helene, that follows Mrs. Kröller-Müeller’s acquisition of one of the world’s largest van Gogh collections. The Museum’s permanent collection includes a wide selection of works by important 20th century painters such as Mondriaan, Seurat, Signac, and Fantin Latour. The 25 hectare outdoor sculpture garden provides a lovely setting for contemporary works.

For more information check out the Hoge Veluwe¹s web site: www.hogeveluwe.nl

by Barbara Goodman Shovers

Popularity: 9% [?]

Day Out Dining Out

The St. Anno Park Restaurant in Bad Honnef, is in the same grounds as the international University of Applied Science in Bad Honnef.

It is open both lunch time and evenings – check the website for details. Excellent cuisine at reasonable prices.

St Anno Park Restaurant
Mülheimer Strasse 38
53604 Bad Honnef
www.st-anno-park.de

BEN tip – for visitors – a nice day out is to take the tram along the Rhine (No. 66 Telekom Express from Bonn HBF or Deutsche Telekom tram stop) past Königswinter, enjoying nice views from tram window, have lunch at St Anno Park, then perhaps tram back to Königswinter and walk up the Drachenfels, or along the Rhine, perhaps take the ferry across to Mehlem and then bus to Bad Godesberg for a stroll in the park or walk up the Bad Godesberg Turm (for the fit – a lift is currently being installed to enable easier access for the disabled).

Popularity: 7% [?]

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung here in Cleveland, Ohio. The leaves have magically popped out on the trees, and the cherry, apple, tulip and dogwood trees – not to mention the lilac and all those beautiful spring flowers – are in full bloom. Nothing is crazier than Cleveland weather in the spring. After 7 months of cold and snow, we look forward to hearing the birds chirp and those rain showers that bring May flowers. This May has been quite a ride so far. We have seesawed between 30°Fahrenheit (-1°C) and snow and 85°F (29) and sunny in the last week or so.

Luckily the freezing temperatures haven’t caused too much havoc on the blossoms. However, the convergence of cold and warm fronts can often lead to severe thunderstorms and tornados. Two years ago I missed being caught in the path of a tornado by 5 minutes. I was driving from my parents’ home in a terrible storm and saw police cars with flashing lights ahead blocking the road. Turns out a tornado had gone through minutes before, downing trees and power lines and severely damaging several homes about a mile from my home. But life goes on. Two of the damaged homes have been torn down – and one house has doubled in size with a beautiful new façade and addition. Apart from the monthly test every first Saturday of the month at noon, I have yet to hear a tornado siren – and I hope it stays that way. One thing I never missed about America when I lived in Germany were the tornados.

The warm weather does make me miss the beer gardens and biking along the Rhine river. America doesn’t have many al fresco dining opportunities. I don’t know if it is because we have so many bugs – or because Americans crave air conditioning when it gets above 80°F. My apartment doesn’t have central air, and my landlady keeps apologizing that it is so warm. I keep reminding her I’m not used to living in air conditioning and prefer the fresh air. I remember living in front of the fans in Germany during the summer. I lived about a 4-minute walk from Schaumburger Hof and spent many a night sitting in the beer garden, watching the boats go by. Nothing is finer than biking leisurely along the Rhine river on a Sunday afternoon. I also have many fond memories of biking back from the downtown pubs through the Rheinau or on the Schäl Sick when I lived in Beuel. One night I almost rode my bike straight into the Rhine when I got caught in some silt from the Hochwasser. I sobered up real quick and never biked drunk again. Biking under the influence isn’t as dangerous as driving under the influence – but I wouldn’t recommend it. If caught, you could get your license taken away.

I am currently pricing flights to Germany. After three years away, I am going to spend three weeks starting the end of August in Europe. I have been invited to a wedding in early September, so I decided to go a few days early and spend my birthday celebrating with my German and expat friends. I can hardly wait to hit my favorite restaurants like Zur alten Post and Casa Rustica or try out some new ones like the Unsicht-Bar (www.unsicht-bar.com – the pitch-black restaurant with blind waiters) in Cologne. I’ve been waiting to try that one for over three years now. I wonder if the restaurants and pubs I loved so much are even still there. Nothing is as fleeting as the restaurant trade – no matter where you live.

Anyway, it feels like I’m coming home – even if it is only for three weeks.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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