Mayor Katja Dörner is taking part in the coalition talks in Berlin on behalf of her party. She announced on Friday that the Greens have appointed her to the working group ‘Good living conditions in cities and rural areas.’ Dörner brings relevant experience to the negotiations with the SPD and FPD – she took part in the lengthy discussions between the CDU, Greens and the FDP following the 2017 Bundestag elections. In the end a coalition was formed between the CDU and SPD. Dörner sat in the Bundestag for Bonn from 2009 as deputy chair of the Green parliamentary group, until her success in the 2020 local elections.

“I will be focusing on the concerns of local authorities,” she said on Friday. Important issues for her are equal living conditions, funding programs and municipal financing. She expects to be in Berlin for 3 to 5 days in the next three weeks and will need to postpone appointments in Bonn for this. “But I see it as a great opportunity to help set the course for the coming years now, at a crucial point,” she stated. On Facebook she wrote that cities must be equipped so that they can “get serious about climate protection, changes to transport policy, digitalisation and social participation.”

The Bürger Bund Bonn (BBB) warned that the mayor should not forget other important issues. “These include the ongoing breach of the Berlin/Bonn law by the migration of ministries from Bonn to Berlin,” explained BBB city council member Johannes Schott. “We also expect the same from Alexander Graf Lambsdorff of the FDP.” (Original text: Andreas Baumann)

District mayor Christoph Jansen, together with the associations Bürger.Bad.Godesberg and Kunst und Kultur Godesberg are inviting the public to attend an event entitled ‘Back to the Future’, where the current ideas for redesigning the town centre and the ideas from the 1980s will be discussed. The event, which starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26, at Kinopolis, is the result of an initiative by the former district head Norbert Hauser.

The architect Tancredi Capatti, who created the winning visions for the town centre along with two other architectural firms, will also attend, along with a representative from ox2 architekten in Aachen, who also took part in the competition. Admission is free of charge. Tickets will be available from the ticket office two hours before the start. 3G rules apply. Questions for the architects, planners and the city authorities can be sent in advance by email to Christoph Jansen (BBM.christoph.jansen@bonn.de) using the heading ‘Zurück in die Zukunft’. (Original text: mmv)

A colourful mix of food and drink stalls can be found at the Streetfood-Festival in Bonn’s Old Town this weekend. The event attracted a lot of hungry visitors to the site at 137 Heerstraße from midday on Saturday.

The flair of wanting to experience “something different” is what makes the street food festival special, organiser Ramon Wiener from Event UG told GA. A total of 75 different dishes are available to try, including Mexican, Greek, Hungarian and Venezuelan. “Our first festivals were always organised under the motto ‘feast, marvel and discover’ and I think that hits the spot. Here at the Street Food Festival you can also try out something new, together with your friends and family,” Wiener explained. “Fresh and traditional” preparation of the dishes is very important.

One visitor was pleased that the number of stands was rather limited, with ten food trucks, five drinks stalls and two dessert trucks. “Because when there is too much choice, it’s always difficult to decide,” he said.

The Streetfood Festival in the Old Town is open from 12 to 8 pm on Sunday. Admission is free of charge. Visitors must provide proof of 3G. Next spring/summer Event UG is launching a ‘Street Food Tour 2022’ through Bonn and the Rhine-Sieg district. On 9 and 10 April 2022, they will be back at Heerstraße and will then move on to three further locations in Wesseling, Niederkassel and Sankt Augustin.

Visit https://www.street-food-bonn.de for more information (in German only). (Original text: Niklas Schröder)

The stuffed animals have moved back into the window at the Kaufhof on the Münsterplatz, kicking off the Christmas season as they have been doing for the last 30 years. This year, a crocodile is pushing a pram, a bear is watering the flowers and a fox is cuddling a dog on a park bench – all to make the children’s eyes light up. If you want to come and see the display, you should take the opportunity now before the large crowds come. Once the Christmas markets begin, it's not unusual to have to wait several minutes before you can get to the front. And even at the end of October, a little bit of Christmas excitement is allowed. (Original text: buj)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)