BONN. At around 10pm on Saturday evening, Bonn fire services were called to a house in the street An den Eichen in Röttgen where a fire had broken out in the attic. The fire brigade acted swiftly and was able to prevent the flames from spreading. The exact reason for the fire is still unclear; according to initial findings, it may have been caused by a vacuum cleaner that had been stored in the attic by the residents. The police reported that another possible cause may have been a stove in a provisionally built kitchen. Fire investigations are underway. A married couple and their two children live in the house. The family was not injured in the fire.

(Original text: GA)

BAD GODESBERG. The new Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority (Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Rhein, WSA) has been launched in Bad Godesberg to replace the previous waterway and shipping offices in Bingen, Cologne and Duisburg-Rhine. The approximately 500 employees do not have to fear for their jobs: the three previous locations will remain without any redundancies. General management of the Waterways and Shipping Administration (Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung, WSV) responsible for the whole of Germany has also been transferred to Bonn.The reform is part of a nationwide project which streamlines the administration of the waterways. The WSA Rhine is responsible for 370 kilometres of the Rhine between the Dutch border and the mouth of the river Main near Mainz, and thus for one of the most important shipping routes: according to the WSV, 70 percent of all German inland waterway transport is handled in this area.

(Original text: Stefan Knopp)

KÖNIGSWINTER. 5300 visitors have been to see the castle lights at Schloss Drachenburg so far. The first weekend saw 2000 visitors and around 3300 came on the second weekend. In 2019, a total of 23,300 visitors were counted over five weekends. This year, the event is being held for the sixth time, transforming Drachenburg castle into a fantasy world on six weekends. The light artist Wolfgang Flammersfeld stages the castle spectacle with more than 400 lights and a dozen projectors. The experience is made even more spectacular by the view of the Rhine valley below. Schloss Drachenburg will continue to shine on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 pm to 10 pm until 23^rd February. Entrance costs nine euros for adults and four euros for children from 6 years.

(Original text: Hansjürgen Melzer)

BONN. Bonn city assumes that details of a cost-benefit study by the NRW Transport Ministry in Düsseldorf for the construction of a cable car to the Venusberg will be available by the summer break. The council will then present the results of the study to the political committees. The State would only agree to support up to 90% of the construction costs if the costs and benefits of the cable car are deemed to be economically acceptable.

In view of the current Bundestag resolution on the Municipal Financing Act (GVFG) which formulates the eligibility for subsidies at federal level, Bonn Mayor Ashok Sridharan announced on Friday that it should be examined "whether the procedure must be modified by the GVFG amendment". He went on to say: "This means it is now recognised that a cable car, such as the one we are planning in Bonn between Venusberg, the Bundesviertel and Beuel, can be an important part of an integrated public transport concept." The amendment to the law could also mean additional funds in Bonn for the expansion of railway lines and connecting points.

(Original text: Philipp Königs)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)