BONN. From 15 May drive-in concerts will be held on the site of the former slaughterhouse on Immenburgstraße in Bonn-Endenich. A variety of well-known stars will be holding the concerts which visitors can enjoy from their cars. The concerts are being organised by the company RheinEvents, who is responsible for the Panama Open Air Festival in the Rheinaue park, together with the event agency Fünfdrei, who organises the Green Juice Festival in Vilich, among other things. The city council has already given the green light for the car concerts, made possible by the numerous sponsors supporting the project. The organisers have been able to engage well-known stars including music artists such as Alle Farben and Cat Ballou, as well as German comedians. Over 20 concerts have already been confirmed.

Like a drive-in cinema, the sound at the concerts will be received via the car radios on a special frequency. There will be no amplifiers or large loudspeakers on the site - nor will the concerts be broadcast online. Visitors must stay in their cars and are requested not honk or flash their car headlights instead of applause. The cars must keep a minimum distance of 1.50 metres from one another. Although the organisers are currently still fine-tuning the concerts, they say that there should be room for up to 200 cars in front of the stage. There is a limit of two people in each car.

Tickets are on sale from midday on Monday 4 May, cost between 15 and 40 euros per person and can be booked online at: www.bonnlive.com (website in German).

(Original text: Maximilian Mühlens)

BONN. An expert report commissioned by the city council coalition has reached its conclusion on the progress of the works at the Beethovenhalle construction site: shortly after work began in 2017, it was already apparent that the renovation would not be finished in time for the anniversary of the great composer’s birth in 2020. The city disagrees and explains that in June 2017 the architects’ schedule had promised completion by 2019. Among other things, the expert bureau Karl Heinz Schütz und Partner (KHSP) has found that the building structure of the hall was examined at a very late stage and then only “on a case-by-case basis”.

According to the press office, the city has already taken on board the criticisms and suggestions from the expert bureau. Monika Hörig stated: “According to the statement issued in the meantime, KHSP assumes that the disruptions in the planning and construction process that occurred and were named at the time can be successively reduced or eliminated.” However, there is still no binding schedule for the construction site. Coordination with the companies involved began at the end of February and will probably take another three to four months, according to the press office.

As things stand today, the Beethovenhalle could be handed over in mid-2024. Costs are estimated at 146 million euros, or 167 million euros in the worst-case scenario. Originally, 61.5 million euros had been planned. According to the city, all tradesmen who had been cancelled due to the delays on the construction site have been re-awarded. The corona crisis has so far had no effect on the companies' presence on site. Further good news is that, contrary to earlier statements by the city, the new roof does not have any significant defects after all.

(Original text: Andreas Baumann)

BONN. Last week a resident of the refugee home at the former Ermekeil barracks tested positive for the corona virus after giving birth at the Marien Hospital in Bonn. In the meantime, the test results for the medical staff in the delivery room as well as for the new baby have come back negative.

Daniela Kreuzberg, Commercial Director of the hospital, commented: “This shows that the care of the pregnant woman and her new-born child as well as the protective measures taken in our hospital have worked very well.”

Although the expectant mother had initially tested negative whilst at the refugee home, she was classified as a risk patient at Marien Hospital. Thanks to its close contact with the other birth clinics in Bonn and with the health authorities, the hospital was aware that there had been an increase in the number of corona infections at the refugee home. “We were well prepared for the situation,” emphasised Kreuzberg.

A negative test result always provides a snapshot - an infection could still be present in the incubation phase, which may not be able to be detected at the moment of the test. Therefore, despite the negative test result at the refugee home, the expectant mother was treated at the hospital as covid-positive as a precaution and was retested again later. “The hospital test confirmed her infection a few days following her admission,” explained Kreuzberg. “I want to emphasise that we do everything possible to minimise the risk of infection. Mother and child are doing well.”

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen)

BONN. National Express will start regular operations again from Monday. The company announced on Friday that the lines RE 5 between Emmerich and Koblenz via Bonn and Cologne, RB 48 between Bonn and Wuppertal, RE 6 between Minden and Cologne/Bonn Airport and RE 7 between Krefeld and Rheine via Cologne will be returning to normal weekday service. More passengers are expected due to the gradual reopening of public life and consequently the important commuter routes will be fully served again during the week. The NRW Ministry for Transport announced that it had been agreed to operate almost according to the regular timetable again starting on Monday. Only trains running at night and at weekends or holidays will be limited. Face masks must be worn inside buses and trains, on the platforms and at all stops to keep the risk of infection as low as possible.

(Original text: fjr)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)