Review by the emergency services 150,000 visitors at " Rhein in Flammen " in the Bonn's Rheinaue
Bonn · Some 150,000 people came to the Rheinaue for "Rhein in Flammen". From the 17 boats, 3948 guests admired the fireworks. The fire brigade, police and rescue services were particularly busy on Saturday evening.
Jürgen Harder, who is responsible for the three-day land-based programme of "Rhein in Flammen" (Rhine in Flames) in the Rheinaue, had been wishing for many, many visitors. His wish came true: a total of around 150,000 visitors came over the three days, according to Tourismus & Congress GmbH (T&C). Together with the City of Bonn, it had organised the event once again this year after a three-year break due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
While the main stage featured Paveier, Klüngelköpp and the Domstürmern, there was a programme for the younger audience on the stage of Rheinevents. "'Rhein in Flammen' is for everyone. It is a colourful mix of society to which we contribute a part," said Managing Director Sandro Heinemann. And so do the Green Juice festival organisers with their programme at the Südbrücke.
Lost and found and wild urinators
According to Kathrin Krumbach, head of event coordination at the City of Bonn, there were no critical incidents. "The law enforcement agencies and also the medical services draw a very positive balance due to the low number of interventions," is how she summed it up.
Before and during the event, more than 100 employees of the City of Bonn were on duty. The forces of the public order office were deployed both at the barriers and around the site. "We keep an eye on young women who are in dark corners to make sure no one harasses them or takes advantage of them," said staff member Christoph Wagner on Saturday. "But our tasks also include giving warnings to wild urinators and watching out for people who don't behave, as well as collecting lost property."
Meanwhile, the vehicle towing service had to be called out 36 times to keep designated escape and emergency routes clear. The security patrols carried out around 100 checks on people on the grounds. No one was ordered to leave the event. Only two underage youths who were under the influence of alcohol were handed over to their parents.
During the event, the Bonn fire brigade and rescue service were called out 34 times. From the fire brigade's point of view, there were no noteworthy incidents. The emergency doctor was called out twice, the ambulances were called out eleven times and a patient transport vehicle was used 20 times. In addition, the fire brigade had to extinguish a small fire.
Several thefts reported
With the onset of nightfall, the Bonn police were particularly challenged: " We were called in for several assaults and theft offences," said the head of operations, police director Petra Kaufmann. By 2.45 a.m., however, only one person had had to be taken to the police custody cells. The 22-year-old had not complied with one of the six orders given to him to stay away, according to the police. The police have initiated 13 investigations in connection with the event, including three thefts and seven assaults.
There were no special incidents from the point of view of the water police. However, two recreational boaters disregarded the navigation ban and were sent away. One of them entered the danger zone of the fireworks after ignoring the blockade during the closing fireworks display. A police boat had to escort him out. Both will now have to pay a fine. According to a report by T&C, an argument broke out on a passenger ship, which was settled by an intervention team.
A total of 3948 guests and 339 crew members were on the 17 passenger ships participating. At 11.50 p.m., the navigation blockade down the Rhine was lifted. The blockade upstream was lifted at 00.26 hrs.
Smooth departure
The Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) also expressed their satisfaction: "The journey to the Rhein in Flammen - mainly via tram nr. 66 - went smoothly. On Saturday, additional trams were deployed on the service from 4 p.m. onwards, and from 5.20 p.m. onwards we increased the number of journeys again," said SWB spokesperson Stefanie Zießnitz. Shortly after 7.30 p.m., however, a collision between a tram and a car at Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz caused obstructions. While the accident was being investigated, no trams were able to reach the stop for about 50 minutes. The tram line 66 from Siegburg ended at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz and went back. Trains from Bad Honnef only went to the main station and back. Those coming from Siegburg who wanted to go to Rhein in Flammen had to change to a bus from Konrad-Adenauer-Platz. Route 62 was also affected. From 8.30 p.m. onwards, the route was once again open to all traffic.
Return traffic was stepped up from 11.45 p.m. and, according to Zießnitz, also ran smoothly. "As agreed with the organisers, trains ran every five minutes," she said. At times, trams even ran every three to four minutes, she said. "From 2.30 a.m. onwards, SWB service staff were withdrawn, as there were only a few passengers travelling then."
Original text: Jill Mylonas
Translation: Jean Lennox