Bad Godesberg
Encyclopedia
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
. From 1949 till 1990 (while Bonn was the capital of West Germany
), the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings are still used as embassy branch offices or consulates
.
, a castle destroyed in 1583
during the Cologne War
.
is on the Left Rhine line and the line 16 and 63 of the Bonn Stadtbahn
.
in France (since 1957) Frascati
in Italy (since 1960) Windsor and Maidenhead
in the United Kingdom (since 1960) Kortrijk
in Belgium (since 1964). Yalova
in Turkey (since 1989)
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. From 1949 till 1990 (while Bonn was the capital of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
), the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings are still used as embassy branch offices or consulates
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
.
Geography
Bad Godesberg is located along the hills and cliffs of the west bank of the Rhine river, in west central Germany. Godesberg is also the name of the steep hill, of volcanic origin, on the top of which are the ruins of the GodesburgGodesburg
The Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany.Built in the early 13th century on the Godesberg, a hill of volcanic origin, it was largely destroyed following a siege in 1583 at the start of the Cologne War...
, a castle destroyed in 1583
Siege of Godesberg (1583)
The Siege of Godesberg, 18 November – 17 December 1583, was the first major siege of the Cologne War . Seeking to wrest control of an important fortification, Bavarian and mercenary soldiers surrounded the Godesberg...
during the Cologne War
Cologne War
The Cologne War devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire, present-day North-Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany...
.
History
The following events occurred, per year:- 722 - First official record of the town, which was named after a nearby mountain, the Woudenesberg (later Godesberg), a basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
cone where the UbiiUbiithumb|right|350px|The Ubii around AD 30The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river...
, a Germanic tribe, worshipped the god WotanWodenWoden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
. - 1210 - On 15 October, Archbishop of CologneArchbishopric of CologneThe Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
Dietrich IDietrich I von HengebachDietrich I von Hengebach was the Archbishop of Cologne. He was elected in 1208. He supported Otto of the House of Welf as Holy Roman Emperor and was excommunicated in 1212 by Innocent III. Upon his excommunication, he lost the Episcopal see and he brought suit in Rome...
lays the foundation stone of the GodesburgGodesburgThe Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany.Built in the early 13th century on the Godesberg, a hill of volcanic origin, it was largely destroyed following a siege in 1583 at the start of the Cologne War...
fortress on the Godesberg mountain. - 1583 - On 17 December, the Godesburg is destroyed by BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n troops after Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von WaldburgGebhard Truchsess von WaldburgGebhard Truchsess von Waldburg was Archbishop-Elector of Cologne. After pursuing an ecclesiastical career, he won a close election in the Cathedral chapter of Cologne over Ernst of Bavaria. After his election, he fell in love with and later married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben, a Protestant...
converted to ProtestantismProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
(see Cologne WarCologne WarThe Cologne War devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire, present-day North-Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany...
). - 1792 - Godesberg becomes a spa resort.
- 1925 - Godesberg is allowed to call itself "Bad" Godesberg, identifying it as a spa.
- 1935 - Bad Godesberg attains the status of a town.
- 1938 - Neville ChamberlainNeville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
meets with Hitler over the SudetenlandSudetenlandSudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
crisis at the Rheinhotel Dreesen in Bad Godesberg. - 1945 - Bad Godesberg was the first major German city to be handed over to the allied forces without fights.
- 1959 - The Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) decided on a new party program, the Godesberg ProgramGodesberg ProgramThe Godesberg Program was the party program outline of the political course of Germany's social-democratic party, the SPD. It was ratified on November 15, 1959, at an SPD party convention in the town of Bad Godesberg, which is today part of Bonn....
. - 1969 - Godesberg was incorporated into the city of Bonn. Since that time, it has been referred to as the "posh part of Bonn".
Infrastructure
Bonn-Bad Godesberg stationBonn-Bad Godesberg station
Bonn-Bad Godesberg station is on the Left Rhine line in the in the Bonn district of Bad Godesberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is a four-track through station, which does not have a “home” platform attached to the station building...
is on the Left Rhine line and the line 16 and 63 of the Bonn Stadtbahn
Bonn Stadtbahn
The Bonn Stadtbahn is a part of the local public transit system in Bonn and the surrounding Rhein-Sieg area. Although with six actual Stadtbahn lines and three tram lines it is relatively small, two of the Stadtbahn lines connect to the much larger Cologne Stadtbahn .The entire network comprises...
.
Twin towns
The town is twinned with several towns: Saint-CloudSaint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France, ranked 22nd out of the 36500 in...
in France (since 1957) Frascati
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
in Italy (since 1960) Windsor and Maidenhead
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998.It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland and Ascot Racecourse....
in the United Kingdom (since 1960) Kortrijk
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
in Belgium (since 1964). Yalova
Yalova
Yalova is a city located in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara, and is the capital of the Yalova Province. Yalova has a city population of 92,166, while the population of the Yalova Province is 202,531. as of 2009...
in Turkey (since 1989)
Secondary schools
- Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium (NCG)
- AloisiuskollegAloisiuskollegThe Aloisiuskolleg is a co-educational, private and Catholic University-preparatory school in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany with an affiliated boarding school directed by the Jesuits. The school is named for Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. It has an excellent reputation and is considered one of the most...
(AKO), partnerschool of the CFG - Amos-Comenius-Gymnasium Bonn (AMOS/ACG)
- Clara-Fey-Gymnasium (CFG), partnerschool of the AKO
- Konrad-Adenauer-Gymnasium (KAG)
- Pädagogium Godesberg - Otto-Kühne-Schule (PÄDA)
Trivia
- John le CarréJohn le CarréDavid John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
's novel The Little Drummer GirlThe Little Drummer GirlThe Little Drummer Girl is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who is trying to kill a Palestinian terrorist code-named 'Khalil', who is bombing Jewish-related targets in Europe, particularly Germany, and the...
begins with the bombing of the house of the IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i labor attachéAttachéAttaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Bad Godesberg.