Bonn. The redevelopment of private residential and commercial buildings at the Viktoriakarree in the city centre is making visible progress.And there are also plans for the municipal area at the Karree, including the Viktoriabad swimming pool that dates from the late 1960s and has been closed since 2010. According to the city administration’s recent presentation for public participation in the plans for the Viktoriakarree, the pool will have to be demolished. The university plans to build a ‘Forum des Wissens’ (Forum of Knowledge) there with a library and seminar rooms. It is still unclear where the City Museum, which is housed in the swimming pool building, is to be accommodated.

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen)

Bonn. The road markings for the environmental lanes on the Hermann-Wandersleb-Ring between Endenich and Duisdorf are continuing to create temporary traffic jams. The contradictory markings are also causing confusion. For example, after the intersection with Auf dem Hügel, yellow arrows have been painted on the road pointing to the left, calling for drivers to get into the right lane. A traffic sign with the same command, however, is crossed out. As of Friday, the city press office had not confirmed exactly when the marked sections are to be considered as environmental lanes and closed to cars. It is also unclear when the final marking works are to be completed. The environmental lane is a ten-month test, whereby cars can use only one lane, and the second lane will be reserved for cyclists and buses.

(Original text: bot)

Bonn. Rescue workers from the police and fire service recovered a man’s body from the river Rhine on Friday afternoon. Passers-by had reported seeing a person floating in the water. According to police, it was only after the emergency services had pulled the man out of the water and brought him ashore that they could determine his death. It is not clear how long the man’s lifeless body had been in the water. The rescuers recovered him about 500 metres north of the Kennedy Bridge on the right-hand side of the river. Police spokesman Michael Beyer told the GA that the dead man had been transferred to forensics immediately after his recovery from the river. The police will now launch further investigations to determine the man’s age and identity, and the circumstances of his death. Officers will investigate whether the deceased man had already been reported missing.

(Original text: buj)

Bonn. There are new plans for the former Residence Hotel on Kaiserstraße. Construction fences reveal that the building is soon to be converted for a new purpose. According to Markus Schmitz from the press office, the city granted permission in mid-August this year, and plans for the reopening are already in place. “The ground floor will mainly be used for gastronomy and commerce, and the rest of the building will be used for student housing and an aparthotel,” he explained. A co-working space is also planned.

As previously reported, the tenant and landlord of the hotel announced its final closure in June 2021 following a year of closure due to the pandemic. The building has remained empty ever since. The hotel’s Kaisergarten, located next to the Kaiser fountain, was a popular destination for many Bonn residents in the summer.

(Original text: kas)

Bonn. The association ‘Partnership International’ is looking for families to host exchange students from the USA, Colombia and Italy. The young people are due to stay in Germany for five to ten months. 15 of the young people looked after by the association have been accommodated in families who cannot take them in for the entire period, so new families are being sought from the end of October. Anyone interested can contact Partnership International by phone 0221 9139 733 or email office@partnership.de

(Original text: buj)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)