destination Bonn, Germany

Bonn was my first proper Grand Tour destination. I had travelled from London to Brussels on an early Eurostar, then by Thalys high speed train to Cologne [Köln], where I'd enjoyed a couple of hours in and around the huge cathedral before taking a regional train for the short journey to Bonn, and the first night of my tour.

Bonn is where Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, and where he played in the court orchestra (among other things) until he moved permanently to Vienna in 1792. A visit to his family's house, now a well-regarded museum, was one of my main reasons for stopping in Bonn. The composer Robert Schumann died here in 1856 at the age of 46 – after living for two years in the house of his psychiatrist Dr. Richarz – and is buried, with Clara Schumann, in the old cemetery... / more

Bonn highlights

Der Alte Friedhof (The Old Cemetery)

My first port of call was the cemetery, less than 10 minutes walk from my hotel, to visit the tomb of the composer Robert Schumann and (joining him in 1896) his wife Clara (née Clara Wieck). I found the memorial easily enough, but unfortunately its central position at a wide part of the track through the cemetery is also a very convenient place for the gardeners to park their van! I looked around the rest of the cemetery, but the gardeners still hadn't moved (nor done any work) after 20-30 minutes, so I did my best with the Schumanns and moved on into the city centre.

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Beethoven-Haus

The house in which Beethoven was born is now an excellent museum. An informative and well-produced audio guide takes you through the house..

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Schumannhaus

The Schumann House belonged originally to the psychiatrist Dr Richarz, and is where Schumann spent his last two years, from 1854 to 1856. It's now an educational facility, and part of the city library. Free entry, a good library and a small display of Schumann things.

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In the City

The main point of interest for me elsewhere in the city was the 1845 bronze statue of Beethoven, by Ernst Hähnel, standing in front of what is now the post office (originally the Fürstenbergisches Palais) in Münsterplatz, looking quite stern and academic in his robes. I note that he’s holding a pencil, but I suppose quills are difficult to do...

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I headed first to die Alte Friedhof, since it was less than a 10-minute walk from my hotel, through an underpass under the railway line that I'd spotted on Google Earth (how did people plan trips like this before satellite imaging?). I found the tomb of Robert and Clara Schumann quite easily, but it‘s central position is also unfortunately a very convenient place for the gardeners to park their van! I looked around the rest of the cemetery, but the gardeners still hadn't moved (or done any work) after 20-30 minutes, so I did my best with the Schumanns and moved on towards the Beethoven house.

Much of the centre of Bonn is clean and modern and deserted at that time; nothing – including the Beethoven house – opens until 10:00. So I found the house and took a few photos of the outside, then wandered around until opening time, finding the statue of Beethoven in front of the post office in Münsterplatz. The house in which Beethoven was born is now an excellent museum. An informative and well-produced audio guide takes you through the house...

After lunch I walked the 1.5-2km in the rain to the Schumann House, which belonged originally to Dr Richarz and is where Schumann spent his last two years. It’s now an educational facility, part of the city library. Free entry, a good library and a small display of Schumann things. In the evening I walked across town towards the Opera House, then along the Rhine to the Beethovenhalle for a concert – part of Bonn's annual Beethovenfest – that I'd booked before I left home [concert details in the Music Trail]. There was some evening sun now, and the broad riverside path was very pleasant, with bikes, runners, walkers and dogs making the best of it.

Thoughts on Bonn as I moved on to Mannheim and Munich: I enjoyed my short stay in the city: very welcoming, everything is clean, plenty of bikes (city bikes and hybrids), a minimum of white lines on the roads, clicky pedestrian crossings to help blind people (which I later found are now universal in Germany and Austria), apparently no CCTV. An excellent hotel, with attentive staff and a good breakfast.