"Finally, there is a store here in Bonn," said a delighted Michaela Lülsdorf, who was waiting with her husband Jürgen to get in. Now the passionate collector couple no longer has to head to the store in Cologne, as they used to, when they want to create something new. "Whenever possible, we buy Lego in the store instead of ordering. You can see in person how things look built up, and you always find something interesting," said Jürgen Lülsdorf.

The two longtime Lego fans have already passed on their fascination with Legos to the next generation. "Our children have experienced Legos since their first day. Their first toy was a Lego rattle made of fabric," said Michaela Lülsdorf. So visits to the Lego Store are always "real family events," she said.

Further ahead in the queue, Lego customer Monika Schneider was convinced of the added value the store would create for the city center. "It's finally here. This is something special for Bonn. It will make the city center more special and more varied. It's also good for retail as a whole," Schneider said. She, too, prefers visiting the store in person instead of ordering online. "You can hold the things in your hands, look at them at your leisure, and it's all much more personal," she said. "Besides, some sets can't even be ordered online," her neighbor Oliver Lorenz added pragmatically.

Both had managed to get one of the first places in the queue and were consequently able to admire the enormous Beethoven Lego bust through the glass door. Other attractions that sweetened the waiting time were the Titanic on display in the shop windows, consisting of 9,090 building blocks, and a "Kevin - home alone" set. According to the staff, the Titanic was "already sold out everywhere else" - despite a hefty price tag of 630 euros.

In the store itself, customers were meant to be blown away, as it were, by the colorful selection of Legos as well as the friendliness of the staff. The entire interior of the new store in the Urban Soul complex was designed in the typical yellow and white Lego look. "We were still busy setting up all last week. But we are very pleased with the final result," emphasized manager Christian Lantin.

The original opening date was to be November 4, but had to be postponed due to delays in renovation work. "Fortunately, the Titanic was already delivered to us completely assembled. Otherwise it would have been tight," admitted staff member Sascha Seichter. He explained that experienced hobbyists estimated a construction time of 20 hours for the model.

The senior operations director of Lego GmbH, Anders Løwe Nielsen, who came to Bonn for the event, said in his opening speech that he was happy about "one of the largest stores we have anywhere". He said the 256-square-meter sales area was intended to "offer both children and adults as much creativity and inspiration as possible." A systematically organized shelving system with assorted offerings for young and old is intended to ensure that everything is clearly sorted and easy to find, including the ever-popular Pick-A-Brick wall. "It starts with the sets for the youngest and ends at 18+," explained assistant manager Sascha Seichter, who, like many of his co-workers, is also an enthusiastic Lego fan in his private life.

The products of the "Adult Series" are, however, hardly intended as toys anymore, but as exhibits for one's own four walls. The latest model of the "Millenium Falcon" from the Star Wars movies, for example, weighs up to 13 kilos and costs several hundred euros. "It's hard to fly around the living room with that," admits Seichter.

He would soon like to get the "AT-AT" for 799 euros for himself - directly from the store of course. "We as a brand retail store are not in competition with our online stores. We complement each other," Seichter affirms. "It's always a profitable business thanks to our great fan community. With our stores, we want to rekindle the magic that comes from Lego.”