Editing Bonn (section)

== History ==
{{for timeline|Timeline of Bonn}}

===Founding and Roman period===
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2008}}
[[File:2008-12-25 Bonn Sterntor.jpg|left|thumb|The {{ill|Sterntor (Bonn)|de|Sterntor (Bonn)|lt=Sterntor}}, originally built {{Circa|1244|lk=no}}, is a gate reconstructed on the remnants of the medieval city wall.]]
The history of the city dates back to Roman times. In about 12 BC, the [[Roman army]] appears to have stationed a small unit in what is presently the historical centre of the city. Even earlier, the army had resettled members of a Germanic tribal group allied with Rome, the [[Ubii]], in Bonn. The Latin name for that settlement, "Bonna", may stem from the original population of this and many other settlements in the area, the [[Eburones|Eburoni]]. Bona is [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] for tribe.<ref>Xavier Delamarre, ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'', Errance 2003. S. 82.</ref> The Eburoni were members of a large tribal coalition effectively wiped out during the final phase of [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]]'s [[Gallic Wars|War in Gaul]]. After several decades, the army gave up the small camp linked to the Ubii-settlement. During the 1st century [[Anno Domini|AD]], the army then chose a site to the north of the emerging town in what is now the section of Bonn-Castell to build a large military installation dubbed [[Castra]] Bonnensis, i.e., literally, "Fort Bonn". Initially built from wood, the fort was eventually rebuilt in stone. With additions, changes and new construction, the fort remained in use by the army into the waning days of the [[Western Roman Empire]], possibly the mid-5th century. The structures themselves remained standing well into the [[Middle Ages]], when they were called the Bonnburg. They were used by [[Kingdom of the Franks|Frankish]] kings until they fell into disuse. Eventually, much of the building materials seem to have been re-used in the construction of Bonn's 13th-century [[Defensive wall|city wall]]. The {{ill|Sterntor (Bonn)|de|Sterntor|lt=Sterntor}} (''star gate'') in the city center is a reconstruction using the last remnants of the medieval city wall.

To date, Bonn's Roman fort remains the largest fort of its type known from the [[Ancient history|ancient world]], i.e. a fort built to accommodate a full-strength [[Roman legion|Imperial Legion]] and its auxiliaries. The fort covered an area of approximately {{convert|250000|m2|acre}}. Between its walls it contained a dense grid of streets and a multitude of buildings, ranging from spacious headquarters and large officers' quarters to [[barracks]], [[stable]]s and a [[Military prison|military jail]]. Among the legions stationed in Bonn, the "1st", i.e. the [[Legio I Minervia|Prima Legio Minervia]], seems to have served here the longest. Units of the Bonn legion were deployed to theatres of war ranging from modern-day [[Algeria]] to what is now the Russian republic of [[Chechnya]].
[[File:Altes Rathaus Bonn.jpg|thumb|The ''Altes Rathaus'' (old town hall) as seen from the central market square. It was built in 1737 in the [[Rococo]] style.]]

The chief [[Roman roads|Roman road]] linking the provincial capitals of Cologne and [[Mainz]] cut right through the fort where it joined the fort's main road (now, Römerstraße). Once past the South Gate, the Cologne–Mainz road continued along what are now streets named Belderberg, Adenauerallee et al. On both sides of the road, the local settlement, ''Bonna'', grew into a sizeable Roman town. Bonn is shown on the 4th century [[Tabula Peutingeriana|Peutinger Map]].

In [[late antiquity]], much of the town seems to have been destroyed by marauding invaders. The remaining civilian population then took refuge inside the fort along with the remnants of the troops stationed here. During the final decades of Imperial rule, the troops were supplied by [[Franks|Franci]] chieftains employed by the Roman administration. When the end came, these troops simply shifted their allegiances to the new barbarian rulers, the [[Kingdom of the Franks]]. From the fort, the Bonnburg, as well as from a new medieval settlement to the South centered around what later became the [[Bonn Minster|minster]], grew the medieval city of Bonn. Local legends arose from this period that the name of the village came from [[Saint Boniface]] via [[Vulgar Latin]] ''*Bonnifatia'', but this proved to be a myth.

=== Middle ages and early modern period ===
[[File:University bonn at night.jpg|thumb|Founded in 1818, the [[University of Bonn]] counts [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]], [[Karl Marx|Marx]], and [[Konrad Adenauer|Adenauer]] among its alumni.]]
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style Bonn Minster was built, and in 1597 Bonn became the seat of the [[Diocese|Archdiocese]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne|Cologne]]. The city gained more influence and grew considerably. The city was subject to a major bombardment during the [[Siege of Bonn (1689)|Siege of Bonn]] in 1689. Bonn was then returned to Cologne where it remained the capital at the [[Treaty of Ryswick|Peace of Ryswick]]. The [[Electorate of Cologne|elector]] [[Clemens August of Bavaria|Clemens August]] (ruled 1723–1761) ordered the construction of a series of [[Baroque]] buildings which still give the city its character. Another memorable ruler was [[Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria|Max Franz]] (ruled 1784–1794), who founded the university and the spa quarter of [[Bad Godesberg]]. In addition he was a patron of the young [[Ludwig van Beethoven]], who was born in Bonn in 1770; the elector financed the composer's first journey to [[Vienna]].

In 1794, the city was seized by French troops, becoming a part of the [[First French Empire]]. In 1815 following the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Bonn became part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Administered within the Prussian [[Rhine Province]], the city became part of the [[German Empire]] in 1871 during the Prussian-led [[unification of Germany]]. Bonn was of little relevance in these years.

===20th century and the "Bonn Republic"===
{{See also|Berlin-Bonn Act|Decision on the Capital of Germany}}

During the [[Second World War]], Bonn acquired military significance because of its strategic location on the Rhine, which formed a natural barrier to easy penetration into the German heartland from the west. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Bonn on 7 March 1945, and the US [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] captured the city during the battle of 8–9 March 1945.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stanton |first=Shelby L. |title=World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946 |edition=Revised |year=2006 |publisher=[[Stackpole Books]] |page=76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfDfAQAACAAJ |isbn=9780811701570 }}</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F013859-0009, Bonn, Staatsbesuch Präsident Charles de Gaulle.jpg|left|thumb|French president [[Charles de Gaulle]] on a state visit to Bonn in 1962]]

[[Aftermath of World War II|After]] the Second World War, Bonn was in the British zone of occupation. Following the advocacy of West Germany's first chancellor, [[Konrad Adenauer]], a former Cologne Mayor and a native of that area, Bonn became the ''de facto'' capital and [[seat of government]], officially designated the "temporary seat of the Federal institutions" of the newly formed Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. However, the Bundestag, seated in Bonn's [[Bundeshaus (Bonn)|Bundeshaus]], affirmed [[Berlin]]'s status as the German capital. Bonn was chosen as the provisional capital and seat of government despite the fact that [[Frankfurt am Main|Frankfurt]] already had most of the required facilities and using Bonn was estimated to be 95 million DM more expensive than using Frankfurt. Bonn was chosen because Adenauer and other prominent West German politicians intended to make Berlin the capital of a reunified Germany, and they felt that locating the provisional capital in a major city like Frankfurt or [[Hamburg]] would imply a <i>permanent</i> capital and plausibly weaken support in West Germany for a future reunification.

In 1949, the [[Parlamentarischer Rat|Parliamentary Council]] in Bonn drafted and adopted the current German constitution, the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany]]. As the political centre of West Germany, Bonn saw six [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellors]] and six [[President of Germany|Presidents]] of the Federal Republic of Germany. Bonn's time as the capital of West Germany is commonly referred to as the ''[[Bonn Republic]]'', in contrast to the ''[[Berlin Republic]]'' which followed reunification in 1990.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Schleichende Wende. Diskurse von Nation und Erinnerung bei der Konstituierung der Berliner Republik |last=Caborn |first=Joannah |language=de |publisher={{ill|Unrast Verlag|de}} |year=2006 |isbn=9783897717398 |pages=12 |via=[[Google Books]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjNoAAAAMAAJ }}</ref>

===After national reunification===
[[File:Villa Hammerschmidt Bonn Seite Adenauerallee 20080831.jpg|left|thumb|Between 1950 and 1994, [[Hammerschmidt Villa|Villa Hammerschmidt]] was the primary official residence of the [[President of Germany]]. Today it serves as the President's secondary residence.]]
[[German reunification]] in 1990 made Berlin the nominal capital of Germany again. This decision, however, did not mandate that the republic's political institutions would also move. While some argued for the seat of government to move to Berlin, others advocated leaving it in Bonn – a situation roughly analogous to that of the [[Netherlands]], where [[Amsterdam]] is the capital but [[The Hague]] is the seat of government. Berlin's previous history as united Germany's capital was strongly connected with the [[German Empire]], the [[Weimar Republic]] and more ominously with both [[Nazi Germany]] and [[Prussia]]. It was felt that a new peacefully united Germany should not be governed from a city connected to such overtones of war. Additionally, Bonn was closer to [[Brussels]], headquarters of the [[European Economic Community]]. Former West German chancellor and mayor of [[West Berlin]] [[Willy Brandt]] caused considerable offence to the Western Allies during the debate by stating that France would not have kept the seat of government at [[Vichy France|Vichy]] after Liberation.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o36GDAAAQBAJ&q=Willy+Brandt++France+Vichy+capital&pg=PA149 |title=Willy Brandt: a Political Biography |author=Barbara Marshall |date=18 December 1996 |publisher=Springer |page=149 |isbn=9780230390096 }}</ref>

The heated debate that [[Decision on the Capital of Germany|resulted]] was settled by the ''[[Bundestag]]'' (Germany's parliament) only on 20 June 1991. By a vote of 338–320,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20110615/35655 |title=Bonn to Berlin move still controversial |work=[[The Local]]|date=15 June 2011 |access-date=1 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=27 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527124908/https://www.thelocal.de/20110615/35655 |url-status=live }}</ref> the Bundestag voted to move the seat of government to Berlin. The vote broke largely along regional lines, with legislators from the south and west favouring Bonn and legislators from the north and east voting for Berlin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hauptstadtbeschluss: 20 Jahre Pro-Berlin |trans-title=Capital-City Decision: 20 Years of Pro-Berlin |url=http://aktuell.nationalatlas.de/Hauptstadtbeschluss.6_06-2011.0.html |website=nationalatlas.de |first=Sebastian |last=Lentz |date=17 June 2011 |access-date=20 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331093254/http://aktuell.nationalatlas.de/Hauptstadtbeschluss.6_06-2011.0.html |archive-date=31 March 2013 |url-status=live |lang=de }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Laux |first=Hans-Dieter |title=Berlin oder Bonn? Geographische Aspekte einer Parlamentsentscheidung |trans-title=Berlin or Bonn? Geographical Aspects of a Parliamentary Decision |journal=Geographische Rundschau |volume=43 |issue=12 |pages=740–743 |year=1991 |language=de }}</ref> It also broke along generational lines as well; older legislators with memories of Berlin's past glory favoured Berlin, while younger legislators favoured Bonn. Ultimately, the votes of the [[New states of Germany#Culture|eastern German]] legislators tipped the balance in favour of Berlin.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Wayne C. |year=2008 |title=The World Today Series: Nordic, Central and Southeastern Europe 2008 |publisher=Stryker-Post Publications |location=Harpers Ferry, West Virginia |isbn=978-1-887985-95-6 }}</ref>

From 1990 to 1999, Bonn served as the seat of government of reunited Germany. In recognition of its former status as German capital, it holds the name of Federal City ({{langx|de|link=no|Bundesstadt}}). Bonn currently shares the status of Germany's seat of government with Berlin, with the [[President of Germany|President]], the [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] and many government ministries (such as [[Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany)|Food & Agriculture]] and [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Defence]]) maintaining large presences in Bonn. Over 8,000 of the 18,000 federal officials remain in Bonn.<ref name="Cowell">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/world/europe/24berlin.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/world/europe/24berlin.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited |title=In Germany's Capitals, Cold War Memories and Imperial Ghosts |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Alan |last=Cowell |date=23 June 2011}}{{cbignore }}</ref> A total of 19 United Nations (UN) institutions operate from Bonn today.