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.