Beethoven House, Bonn

Beethoven House, Bonn (must see)

Bonngasse 20 and 24-26 in Bonn is Beethoven's birthplace and museum. It is in the center of town by a pedestrianized zone within walking distance of the Rhine River. Beethoven was born at Number 20 in December 1770. The house is among the last 18th century buildings to be found in Bonn.

The house has a baroque stone facade. It stands on cellars and foundations dating from the 12th or 13th centuries. A kitchen and a utility room are on the ground floor. On the floor above are three rooms, including one large room. The bedrooms are on the uppermost floor. The family moved in 1774 to Auf dem Dreieck square.

The Beethoven House is comprised of the actual birth house and a museum including courtyards. It is maintained by the Beethoven House Trust, founded in 1889. Bonngasse 18 and 24 to 26 house a research center with a Beethoven archive collection, a library and publishing house and a chamber music hall.

The house was located in a middle-class neighborhood peopled mainly by employees of the courts. After the Beethovens left for other digs, the house was variously a grocery, a beer garden, a concert hall, and a restaurant. The renovators of 1889 tried to preserve the building as it was in the 18th century.

The beer garden was replaced with a real garden and a paved courtyard with trellises. The building suffered comparatively minor damages in World War II. There were renovations in the 1950s and 1960s. Further renovations occurred in 1996. The Beethoven House was awarded the Europa Nostra award for heritage preservation in 1998.

The Beethoven House is the building in the front of the museum complex and the annex by the garden. Low ceilings, warped, creaking stairs and floors preserve an impression of life in Bonn in the 18th century. Experience a trip into the past in the collection of portraits, manuscripts, and instruments. The house has become its own exhibition.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Bonn. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Beethoven House on Map

Sight Name: Beethoven House
Sight Location: Bonn, Germany (See walking tours in Bonn)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Bonn, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Bonn

Create Your Own Walk in Bonn

Creating your own self-guided walk in Bonn is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beethoven Trail

Beethoven Trail

One of the most recognized music geniuses, whose works remain mainstays of the classical music repertoire around the world, Ludwig van Beethoven saw the light of day in Bonn in 1770. Needless to say that the legacy of the city’s most famous resident is highly respected and honored today. Indeed, Beethoven's presence is still very much felt throughout Bonn, encountering visitors in many...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Bonn Introduction Walking Tour

Bonn Introduction Walking Tour

In 12 BC or thereabouts, the Roman army established in the Rhine valley, a large military encampment called "Castra Bonnensis." Literally "Fort Bonn." Built of wood at first and then replaced by stone, the fort lasted well into the 5th century AD.

The old fort materials were used to build Bonn's 13th century walls. The medieval city formed around the Romanesque church...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles