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Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels
Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels
Coat of arms of Bad Honnef
Coat of arms
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Köln
District Rhein-Sieg-Kreis
Elevation
53-455 m (−1,439.8 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)
 • Total 26,061
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
53604
Dialling codes 02224
Vehicle registration SU
Website www.bad-honnef.de

Bad Honnef (German: [baːt ˈhɔnəf]) is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate. To the north it lies on the slopes of the Drachenfels (“Dragon's Rock”) mountain, part of the Siebengebirge.

Honnef-010
Honnef, Aerial view

Overview

Bad Honnef is home to a mineral spring called the Drachenquelle ("Dragon Spring") which was discovered in 1897. This discovery led to Honnef, as the town was called at the time, transforming from a wine-growing town to a spa town, adding the prefix Bad to its name. The mineral spring has been used for both drinking and bathing.

Bad Honnef includes several districts, such as Aegidienberg, Rhöndorf, and Lohfelderfähre, which is located near the Rhine ferry crossing to Rolandseck. During his term as first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (then West Germany), Konrad Adenauer lived (and died) in Bad Honnef, as it was near Bonn, then the capital of the republic. Also, German politician and leader of the Free Democratic Party Guido Westerwelle was born in Bad Honnef.

Since the 1980s Bad Honnef has developed into an important place for conferences in Germany. Because of the close proximity to the still internationally important Federal City of Bonn, many federal institutions are located in Bad Honnef.

The head office of the Nationalpark Siebengebirge project was also planned to be in Bad Honnef; however the project was rejected in a referendum on 27 September 2009.

Bad Honnef has the highest purchasing power of all towns in North Rhine-Westphalia; its percentage of millionaires is also one of the highest.

Mayors

Term of office Mayors
1862–1876 Clemens Joseph Adams (1831–1876)
1877–1889 Aloys Hubert Schumacher
1889–1907 Theodor Waechter
1907–1919 Peter Joseph Brenig
1919–1929 Albert Berns
1929–1933 Alfred von Reumont (1898–1984)
1933–1934 Heinrich Behr
1934–1935 temporary von Wittich
1935–1945 Johannes „Hans“ Schloemer
1945–1946 Heinrich Goertz
1946–1949 Jakob Mölbert
1949–1952 Peter Rustemeyer
1952–1962 Jakob Mölbert
1962–1964 Albert Weidenbach
1964–1972 Jakob Mölbert
1972–1982 Franz Josef Kayser (1928–2015)
1982–1990 Werner Osterbrink
1990–1999 Franz Josef Kayser
1999–2004 Hans-Peter Brassel
2004–2014 Wally Feiden (born 1940)
since 2014 Otto Neuhoff

Twin towns – sister cities

Bad Honnef is twinned with:

  • France Berck, France
  • Italy Cadenabbia (Griante), Italy
  • Sweden Ludvika, Sweden
  • Germany Wittichenau, Germany

Notable people

  • Curt Haase (1881–1943), general in World War II
  • Boris Papandopulo (1906–1991), composer and conductor
  • Franz Brungs (born 1936), football player and coach
  • Peter Frankenberg (born 1947), professor and politician (CDU), minister in Baden-Württemberg
  • Peter Hintze (1950–2016), politician (CDU), 2013–2016 Vice-President of the Bundestag
  • Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016), politician (FDP), Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany (2009–2013)
  • Sydney Lohmann (born 2000), football player

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bad Honnef para niños

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