Life in Bonn
Bonn is a wonderful place to live
Just like BIS, Bonn is big enough to have many opportunities and choice, small enough to be family-friendly and easy to navigate.
It would be hard to overestimate the quality of life in Bonn -- a vibrant, diverse city of over 330,000 inhabitants, known as a university town, home to international business, and host to United Nations organizations. Our host unites the advantages of large metropolitan cities (international population, variety of entertainment and spectacular museums, great network of public transportation) with the benefits of smaller towns (safety, quality of family life, close proximity to schools, shops and nature).
Bonn is regularly designated as one of the top 10 places to live in Germany.
The Arts
Bonn is the birth place of Ludwig van Beethoven and celebrates all music associated with this native son. Bonn musical highlights include the Kunst!Rasen series in the summer, Beethoven Festival in September, a number of musical competitions, and an opera house. The "Museum Mile" features highly-acclaimed museums and galleries with an emphasis on modern art. The theatre scene is lively and focuses on smaller companies and intimate venues.
Outdoors
Bonn residents take advantage of many outdoor and sporting opportunities. The city is nestled on the banks of the Rhine River, at the foot of the “Seven Hills” region. There are countless bike and hiking paths along the river, throughout the city, as well as out into the surrounding countryside connecting sightseeing points, villages and vineyards. Local clubs are generally affordable, open to new members and offer a breadth of individual and team sports.
History
Founded over 2000 years ago by the Romans, Bonn has a proud and rich history. It was known for many years as a regional capital and then as a spa and vacation town until finally serving as the capital of Germany from 1949 to 1990. The City continues to host half of all German federal government ministries and associated agencies. In addition, Bonn has blossomed in the past decades as a centre of technology, innovation and development.
Location, location, location
If you want to explore more of Germany, Cologne with its famous cathedral is only 30 minutes away, while Düsseldorf as the fashion capital of Germany is an hour away. Within five hours drive on the famed Autobahn, you can visit Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels or Berlin.
The City of Bonn publishes its own English-language website called Bonn International. It regularly informs people new to the region of events and services relevant to the international community.
Our favourite places in Bonn
Bonn offers an outstanding balance of town and nature. Bathed in the stunning vista and walking splendour of the Seven Hills along the castle rich Rhine river, families love the quality of living.
Ludwig von Beethoven is Bonn's beloved son. The Beethoven Museumfest every September is just one of the ways Bonn celebrates his music. Another was an exhibit of Beethoven status on the central market place -- one of which now lives at BIS.
Bonn's beautiful pink Rathaus, or City Hall, is the seat of government for our city and site of many celebrations and ceremonies.
Every May we gather for a fantastic fireworks display on the Rhine, accompanied (of course) by Beethoven's musical masterpieces.
Bonn's famous cherry trees attract visitors from around the world as they enjoy the fascination of millions of cherry blossoms and the charm of the old town.
Ho ho ho -- it might be cold outside, but the Christmas Market in Bonn is bright with lights and cheer. We like to search for hand crafts and a hot drink amongst the stalls.
The Rheinaue Park is Bonn's great heart and green lungs. A wide range of concerts and festivals take place here throughout the year. And it is just minutes away from school.
Bonn has an exceptional international flair and welcoming atmosphere.This may be due to the 20 United Nations agencies headquartered here, or the international research institutions and global players calling Bonn home.
Bonn is home to many first-rate museums, especially for modern art, as a legacy from its days as Germany's capital. The Museum Mile has a concentration of these museums with beautiful and surprising exhibits.
Known as the fifth season, Carnival is a special time of the year for everyone in Bonn. We celebrate with parades, parties and costumes. Everyone gets caught up in the fun.
It may sound like a cliche, but it is true: no time in Germany is complete with a visit to a beer garden. Bonn has many beautiful beer gardens to choose from, some directly next to the river. There is no better place to meet friends, soak up some sun, and relax.