BONN. The Rheinaue in Bonn turned into a disaster area on Saturday: Around 120 rescue workers took part in a large-scale disaster control exercise. The exercise lasted several hours. The organisers of the disaster control exercise, which took place from late Saturday afternoon into the evening in the Rheinaue in Bonn, had devised an extremely difficult task for the auxiliary troops called in.

Katastrophenschutzübung in der Rheinaue Bonn

It was a joint exercise of the fire brigade with the Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs Gesellschaft (DLRG), the German Red Cross (DRK), the Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe, the Malteser Hilfsdienst, the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) and the Technische Hilfswerk (THW). In any case, the number of emergency vehicles on the lake shore was impressive. The lake was crossed by boats, with which the „injured“ were also transferred for treatment. (Original text: Stefan Knopp)

BONN. "Bonn shines" appealed to all the senses this year. In addition to the colourfully illuminated buildings, visitors will be offered a musical and culinary spectacle. The events will continue on Sunday. Then the shops in the city centre will also open from 1 pm to 6 pm. There were no attempts by Verdi to prevent the Sunday opening for business. Most recently, the service union had brought an action against the opening of the shops in Bornheim before the Administrative Court of Cologne. (Original text: Sophia Rogalla)

MECKENHEIM. Since Friday afternoon, 58-year-old Jürgen D. from the Meckenheim area has been missing. Investigation and search measures have so far been unsuccessful. According to the investigations carried out so far, it cannot be ruled out that the missing person may be at risk of his own life, said the police. With the consent of the relatives, the Bonn police have now published a photo of the 58-year-old missing man.

Jürgen D. is about 1.80 meters tall, has a very slender, lean stature and light gray, short hair. He has a dark moustache. He wears glasses and has a conspicuous gait, which is described as "storklike". Besides, his hands tremble conspicuously. The missing person was last dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket with knitted sleeves and possibly a blue-black checked shirt. Witnesses who have currently seen the missing person or have any information on his current whereabouts are requested to contact the Criminal Investigation Department at 0228-150. (Original text: Michael Wrobel)

BONN. The low level of the Rhine reveals the remains of the railway projection in the south of Beuel - and not a Roman port. A relic from a bygone era. It was only a few days ago that the Rhine had reached its lowest point near Bonn with a water level of just over 80 centimetres, thus uncovering hidden treasures that kept not only the explosive ordnance clearance services and treasure hunters busy, but also the archaeologists from the Rhineland Landscape Association (LVR) and Bonn University on their toes.

Many an attentive walker reported his observations. So also Peter Schachtschabel, who turned to the General-Anzeiger with a photo. His first thought: the wooden pillars that suddenly rose out of the water just above the southern bridge could be the remains of Roman artefacts. Between Rhine kilometre 652 and the southern bridge, the formation of wooden posts appeared at low tide. Years ago, a dispute between scholars had broken out over a supposed Roman harbour below the Drachenfels in neighbouring Königswinter - but it was to the detriment of the ancient building. According to experts, his photo shows the last remaining traces of an old railway line that crossed the Rhine.

In 1856, the Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft was granted permission to build a railway line on the left bank of the Rhine from Bonn to Bingerbrück. Because the locomotives were too heavy to cross the river, they pushed the trains onto the ferries and remained on the shore. The ferry service was discontinued in 1919. On the right bank of the Rhine, the railway line is still visible in the terrain. Trajektkopf, which was used as a shipyard at the end of the 1950s, can be seen in the semicircular basalt bank lining. The pier on the left bank of the Rhine will only be open to the public again at the next extreme low tide. (Original text: Stefan Hermes)

(Translation: Mareike Graepel)