"Opera in Bonn" Top 5 Page for this destination Bonn by Nemorino

Bonn Travel Guide: 309 reviews and 849 photos

Beethoven sculpture and concert hall

The composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1857) was born in Bonn and lived here for the first twenty-two years of his life, until he moved to Vienna.

This Beethoven sculpture by Klaus Kammerichs is on the lawn in front of the Beethovenhalle, a large concert hall that was built in 1959. The sculpture is called Beethon, and the fascinating thing about it is that when you look at it from any other angle it just looks like a jumble of irregularly shaped concrete slabs, but when you look at it from straight on, from either direction, those slabs resolve themselves into a vivid portrait of the composer.

The Bonn Opera House

Here at the opera house in Bonn I have seen several fine performances over the past thirteen years, including Salome, by Richard Strauss (1864-1949), in a weird staging by the British film director Ken Russell.

On my most recent visit I saw the two operas advertised in the photo: Cardillac by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) and La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). I have described both of these operas in the General Tips on this page.

The Rhine from Alter Zoll in Bonn

Bonn is located on the Rhine River 37 kilometers south of Cologne.

At last count Bonn had about 314,000 inhabitants, which is not quite half the population of Frankfurt am Main.

When West Germany was established as a separate state in 1949, there was considerable controversy about where the provisional capital should be, since the traditional capital Berlin was located off to the east, behind the new border. It finally came down to a choice between Bonn and Frankfurt am Main, and on May 10, 1949, the Parliamentary Council voted 33 to 29 in favor of Bonn.

After reunification Berlin was declared the nominal capital in 1990, but Bonn remained the administrative capital until 1999, when the seat of government was moved back to Berlin. To this day, however, there are still numerous federal agencies and ministries or parts of ministries in Bonn, and also a number of United Nations agencies and other international organizations.

Last visit to Bonn: Mar 2006
Intro Updated Aug 10, 2011
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Reviews (22)

1. The Difference Engine, by Charles Babbage - Bonn

The Babbage Machines Things to Do (15)

Among the over 1200 historical mechanical calculating machines on display at the Arithmeum there are two replicas of... more travel advice

Right behind the opera house Hotels (2)

This hotel is right behind the opera house, which means that visiting singers sometimes stay here. Several years ago I... more travel advice

Half a block from the Beethoven House Hotels (2)

This is a very basic hotel, but centrally located and not expensive by Bonn standards. There is no automobile noise... more travel advice

1. The Loreley and the Rhine River, from the train - Bonn

Scenic route along the Rhine Transportation (2)

The best and most relaxing way to get from Frankfurt to Bonn is to take the train along the traditional Rhine Valley... more travel advice

Restaurants (1)
Beethoven danced here

Favorites (2)
See All Cardillac

Comments (32)

toonsarah Feb 10, 2012 at 10:20 AM Report Abuse

Another enjoyable page Don. The Stage for Music Visualisation in the Beethoven House sounds interesting, though I found it hard to "visualise" what the "visualisation" might look like ;-) And the Arithmeum looks fascinating too - love the Baroque calculating machine! I also enjoyed the photos of the Rhine which you took from the train - that does indeed look the nicer route :-)
Mikebb Oct 9, 2011 at 3:48 AM Report Abuse

Hi Don, Enjoyed your page, particularly the tip on the Arithmeum. Brought back memories from my first job , 18years old with firm of Accountants and used an Odhner machine for calculations, with leavers and Bells. Maybe a museum piece.
balhannah Oct 9, 2011 at 3:32 AM Report Abuse

Interesting what you said about the sculpture from side on. It is impressive from the front view. Good info on the Bonn welcome card, I imagine quite a saving if interested in visiting museums! Nice reading about Beethoven too.
Pijlmans Feb 20, 2011 at 1:44 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for your hard work on these tips! Dennis
alancollins Jun 18, 2009 at 1:23 PM Report Abuse

Seeing your tips about the Arithmeum I thought about my engineering days with a slide rule and log tables.
tremendopunto Feb 24, 2009 at 1:04 PM Report Abuse

Also your hotel tip, next to the opera, will disappear for another construction (housing) project soon - according to the plans. But things in Bonn change sloooowly, so it might take some more years ;-)
deecat Sep 5, 2008 at 2:04 PM Report Abuse

Been 2 years, & it's still just wonderful. New to me was restaurant & Beethoven house. NO OTHER MEMBER OF VT does it any better, Don! Great explanations of the extra photos, summations of the operas, detailed directions, descriptions, terrific photos.
Cristian_Uluru Jul 21, 2008 at 2:24 AM Report Abuse

Wonderful page!!! I'll stop there during my trip! Ciao
cnango Apr 4, 2008 at 4:24 PM Report Abuse

The Stage for Music Visualization in the Betthoven house sounded interesting. My husband Jeff is a musician, I think he would really like that. As always I enjoyed your architecture pics long with gr8 tips. Well Done!
LoriPori Mar 25, 2008 at 5:59 AM Report Abuse

Very interesting page on Bonn. So many museums to explore making the Bonn Welcome Card so very useful. The Hofgarten and the pretty pink Altes Rathaus look intriguing. Also, thanks Don for visiting my Vancouver Island pages. Have a good week.