SHORT FEATURE ON BAD GODESBERG TWINNED WITH MAIDENHEAD. By Harry Walton
HALF a century as the diplomatic heart of Germany is perhaps Bad Godesberg’s main claim to fame.
The town, which is a municipal district of Bonn, is twinned with Maidenhead and from 1949-1999 most foreign embassies were located there, some offices in the town still being used as embassy branch offices or consulates.
Bad Godesberg can trace its origins back nearly 1,300 years to the first official record of the town which was then known as Woudensberg.
The foundation stone of Godesburg (correct then) was laid in 1210 by the Archbishop of Cologne, Godesburg being destroyed by Bavarian troops in 1583 because an Archbishop hid there following his conversion to Protestantism.
In 1792 Godesberg (correct) became a spa resort and by 1925 was calling itself Bad Godesberg as an identification that it was a spa, one now known to have radioactive mineral springs.
It officially became a town in 1935 and Hitler met Neville Chamberlain there at the Rheinhotel Dreesen in 1938 over the Sudetenland crisis.
In 1945 Bad Godesberg became the first major German city to be handed over to the Allied forces without a fight.
It was incorporated into the city of Bonn in 1969 and now has a population of more than 70,000 people. It has been twinned with Maidenhead since 1960.
Bad Godesberg rejoices in the accolade of being the “nice” part of Bonn.
It has numerous sites, good pubs, restaurants and shopping facilities and its attractions include the Redoute, a Rococo mansion and former pump room often the scene of diplomatic receptions held by the Federal government. Other attractions include the adjoining Stadtpark and the Deutsche Museum with its technical exhibits.
The museum cannot be missed as the magnetic monorail Transrapid is on display in front of the entrance. Inside are highlights of the technological and scientific achievements of the last 50 years and among a fascinating range of items on display is the borehead from the Continental deep drilling programmes.
One of Bad Godesberg’s most famous landmarks is the Rheinauen which stretches out over many kilometres and which is a great place for flea markets, festivals and other events.
Tackle even a fraction of this and you are going to get hungry and there are plenty of places to enjoy a bewildering choice of meals.
The House of Steaks is particularly well known for its large choice of Argentinian specialities while the Dionysos restaurant offers Greek cuisine at a large beer garden just 20 metres from the Rhine. Elsewhere there is Italian cuisine at the Trattoria Pizzeria Italia.
CONTACTS:
Official Bad Godesberg website: www.godesberg.de