River Cruise Diary – Bonn, Germany

Ah, the joy of river cruising. You wake up to the new day in a new town. Again, a very overcast day, but the clouds never opened up on us.

Originally a Roman settlement in the first century B.C., Bonn has been an important government and cultural center for centuries. When the country was divided after WW II, it served as the capital of West Germany. With reunification in 1990, Berlin was restored as the nation’s capital. However, a third of ministerial jobs remain in Bonn.

Memorial to Another Destroyed Synagogue, 

Bonn, Germany (17 November 2019) 

Sadly, evidence of the once-thriving Jewish communities in Germany are now often ruins and memorials. 

The ‘Brückenmännchen’ (Little Bridge Man) 

Kennedy Bridge, Bonn (17 November 2019) 

The Kennedy Bridge crosses the Rhine and connects Bonn with the town of Beuel. We were told that arrangements between the two towns to build the original 19th century bridge degraded and relations soured when Beuel refused to pay their share of the construction costs. The Bonn city fathers showed their displeasure by adding this figure to their side of the bridge. Although the bridge was destroyed in the war, the sculpture was recovered from the river and returned to its rightful place when the new span was completed. I was reminded of an earlier mooning in Germany.

Cologne, Germany (28 July 2007) 

Apparently, it is not uncommon to show contempt publicly an humorously in this part of the world. An earlier visit to Cologne highlighted this property owner who was dissatisfied with some decision at City Hall. 

A Tree-lined Lane in Bonn (17 November 2019) 

On the campus of the University of Bonn, there is a park with stately old trees and on this Sunday morning, few people. 

Bonn City Hall or Rathaus (17 November 2019) 

We were told that President Kennedy gave a speech from the top of the stairs to the gathered masses in the city square. Our fellow visitors are reading book titles underfoot. Paving stones in the square have been replaced with markers identifying the books that were burned by the Nazis on this same spot in 1938. 

Beethoven on the Square, Bonn, Germany (17 November 2019) 

I noted in 2011 that visiting Beethoven’s grave in Vienna inspired me to find the last resting places of our species’ notables. Today we were in the maestro’s birthplace. Naturally, a statue has been placed in one of the city squares. Ludwig has always been represented as a serious sort.

Kunstmuseum, Bonn (17 November 2019) 

One of the last sights we visited was the Kunstmuseum, a modern art gallery on what they call ‘The Museum Mile,’ where there are five museums on one avenue. While architecturally interesting, I’m too much of a traditional/classical old fart and am turned on by very little of what passes for contemporary art nowadays.

The old scientist in me prefers to close with two shots from the University of Bonn campus…apros pos for these challenging times.

This was the last stop in Germany. Tomorrow, we’ll be in the Netherlands.

The Wisdom of the Campus, Part 1, 

Bonn, Germany (17 November 2019) 

The Wisdom of the Campus, Part 2, 

Bonn, Germany (17 November 2019)