Bonn. For nearly two years, Bonn Cathedral has been hidden behind tarpaulins and scaffolding. These have now largely been removed and the view of both towers from the Eastern side is visible once again.

According to Münster spokeswoman Ayla Jacob, the extensive restoration work on the original masonry has been completed and stonemasonry work on the north facade on Münsterplatz is underway. Work is also still underway to structurally secure the vaulting of the basilica, including repairing the cracks in the masonry. In addition, the drilling of holes in the crossing tower masonry for anchoring are pending.

Bonn Cathedral has been closed to the public for more than three years for basic renovation. Since then, the city's dean, Wofgang Picken, and the cathedral congregation have been mainly using the Remigiuskirche as a substitute.

The basilica, which was built from the 11th century on a burial ground of Christian martyrs, had to be extensively renovated and strengthened both inside and out. The weight of the vault was increasingly driving the walls apart, and since the 1991 earthquake in Bonn, the pressure on the stones has increased even more. Although the work turned out to be more extensive than originally expected, the cathedral will probably be open again for services and visits as early as the autumn, according to press spokeswoman Jacob. The cost of the renovation is about 21 million euros.

(Original text, Lisa Inhoffen)

Bonn. In accordance with its coalition agreement, the new council majority consisting of the Greens, the SPD, the Left Party and Volt wants to apply to the federal government for 30 km/h to be the standard speed throughout Bonn. Initial protests, especially from the business community, suggest that this plan will meet with resistance.

Today, 30 km/h is standard in many Bonn neighbourhoods and even on some main roads; for example, on Reuterstrasse, where the speed limit was made mandatory as part of the clean-air plan. For reasons of noise emissions, a 30 km/h speed limit has also been introduced for stretches of the streets Auf dem Hügel in Endenich and Josefshöhe in Auerberg on a trial basis. The speed limit has also been reduced on a trial basis for sections of Königswinterer Straße in Beuel and Servatiusstraße/Bernkasteler Straße in Bad Godesberg.

"Bonn is currently characterized by a hotchpotch of different maximum speeds. On the B9 between Mehlem and Poppelsdorf, the permissible speed changes eight times from 30 to 70 km/h, with different intermediate steps," explains Rolf Beu of the Green Party. A maximum speed of speed of 50 km/h is only meaningful on the few inner through roads, where most bus-lane traffic occurs, and 30 km/h as the new maximum speed everywhere else. Beu also knows that such a pilot project cannot be implemented overnight, but is long-term project. A speed of 30 km/h demonstrably increases traffic safety and serves the quality of life in the city. Ongoing traffic trials also confirm that road noise also decreases noticeably at 30 km/h.

However, the hurdles for a model trial remain high, even though legislators have continually relaxed the regulations via amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) in recent years. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMVI) explained in response to GA that "30 km/h speed limits can also be imposed on main roads for reasons of road safety." The amendment to the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) at the end of 2016 facilitated the ordering of 30 km/h on main roads in the immediate area in front of certain social facilities such as kindergartens, nursing homes and hospitals. However, it should be noted that the safety, ease and order of traffic flow must be guaranteed. In particular, car and truck traffic must be kept away from residential areas.

One problem might be that if 30 km/h becomes the standard speed in the city, then there is a danger that satnavs will channel car traffic through residential areas, where the risk of accidents will again increase considerably. Furthermore, the traffic-light circuits would have to be changed at great expense and the bus timetables would have to be completely altered if 30 km/h was introduced.

Stadtwerke Bonn has always taken a critical view of 30 km/h as a standard speed, although such regulations have proven their worth in residential areas and in areas where different traffic groups are on the move, said Anja Wenmakers, managing director of SWB Bus und Bahn.

In the city administration, there is obviously sympathy for changing the maximum speed from 50 to 30 km/h. "More uniformity would make sense," says city spokeswoman Monika Hörig, relaying the stance of the city's traffic experts. Should the council pass a resolution to that effect, she said, the administration would submit an application to the responsible federal transport ministry for a trial of 30 km/h as the standard speed. If this is approved, Bonn would be the first municipality in NRW to take this step, according to the Düsseldorf Ministry of Transport.

(Original text, Lisa Inhoffen)

Alen Nabaty is now the new occupier of the Bahnhöfchen pub. The restaurateur wanted to take occupation as early as September, but that was delayed because of Coronavirus and because a few small things still had to be sorted out.

The Bahnhöfchen has been a popular meeting place for many Bonn residents for a beer after work for years. Guests in the beer garden enjoy the sun in the evening hours, the view of the Rhine and the idyllic setting on the almost only sandy beach in Beuel. Until now, Klaus Raabe has run the pub, but the rumour that he wanted to give up the Bahnhöfchen had been circulating for some time.

Nabaty is not new to the restaurant business and he is also the owner of the restaurant "Zum Treppchen" in Pützchen. Now, he has set about remodelling and says he wants to spend a lot of money. The whole ambience is to become more modern. "But the wooden look will remain; people should still see that it was a train station," Nabaty says. The pub is also to become a little brighter. So far, he says, the Bahnhöfchen has been more of a summer place, with people sitting in the beer garden. Exactly what everything will look like will become clear in the coming weeks, he says. Nabaty has commissioned a designer from Holland for the changes.

The kitchen and patio will also get a new floor and the patio will be weatherproofed, with a glass front that can be fully opened in the summer. However, many changes must first be approved. because the building is a listed building. In this respect, Coronavirus is a good thing, because Nabaty can't open anyway, which means he now has enough time to renovate at his leisure.

Nabaty wants to change the menu at Bahnhöfchen completely. Like the ambience, it will also be more modern; there will be pancakes and muesli for breakfast, salads for lunch and a business lunch. The dinner menu will feature around 30 dishes – everything from steaks to fish.

Nabaty estimates that the remodelling will be finished in three months. "I expect the lockdown to take that long, too," he says. He hopes to reopen when the sun is shining.

(Original text, Dennis Scherer and Benjamin Westhoff)

Bonn. The city of Bonn will be the setting for the filming of a political thriller. The thriller, entitled "Bonn," will be released as a series in six parts, according to the website of the NRW Film and Media Foundation, which is funding the WDR series with 900,000 euros. This is the highest single sum the foundation has awarded in the past year. The production company is Odeon Fiction from Munich.

According to the NRW Media Foundation, the plot is set in the period after World War II and is about the rise of the still young Federal Republic between the terror of a world war and the return to normality, amid the conflict between two rival secret services.

The film is directed by Claudia Garde, who wrote the script together with Martin Rehbock and Peter Furrer. The series will also feature some big-name actors. In addition to Max Riemelt, Sebastian Blomberg and Mercedes Müller will take on the leading roles.

In response to a GA inquiry, the WDR press office did not want to give any more specific details about the start of filming and the expected filming locations in Bonn for the time being.

(Original text, Thomas Leurs)

(translations, John Chandler)

Astronomy on Tap Bonn, a monthly event of public astronomy talks at the Fiddlers pub in Bonn-Endenich is going virtual due to COVID19 restrictions on public life.

Join us on Tuesday 26th January at 19:00 on YouTube live for another virtual event of Astronomy on Tap Bonn! This month we have with us 1) Eleni Vardoulaki on "Let there be light: A story of how it all began", 2) AoTBonn : "Science or Fiction? An interactive Truthfinding game". Of course we will have our awesome live quiz and one lucky winner will receive a super astro prize via mail! So mark the date and see you then! For more information, you can follow us on facebook & youtube (Astronomy on Tap Bonn) and Instagram & Twitter (@aotbonn), or drop us an email at AoTBonn@gmail.com.

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