Bonn, Germany

The history of Bonn stretches back more than 2,000 years. It was founded by the Romans and thus is one of the oldest cities in Germany.

The most interesting story comes with the end of World War II. Germany was in ruins, and it needed a capital. Former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer that Bonn should be the capital of the new West Germany. The old capital, Berlin, was in the middle of a long argument involving the Allied powers. Adenauer was from that region, and he liked the idea of placing the capital designation there. There was some thought that it should be in a bigger city like Frankfurt, but others thought that a small city would work better. The thinking was that the capital wouldn't be around for long - once Berlin got straightened out - and it would be easier to move the title from a small city.

In 1991, Germany's government voted to move the capital to Berlin. The consolation prize was that some functions were left behind in Bonn. About 8,000 people in Bonn work for the government. 

The result of the move is a slightly curious city. It certainly has seen better days, but it is clean and modern with some top-notch infrastructure left over from the glory days. Still, there aren't a lot of must-see locations in the area. It sort of struck me as a bigger Hartford - a better place to live than to visit. One that deserves a mention is located on the ground in front of the Old City Hall. It has the names of some banned books placed on the cobblestone, in the form shown above.