Urban Soul site Piazza in Bonn to be fully lit by January

Bonn · The construction work on the piazza near Bonn’s main train station is coming to an end. The square is now accessible and a new restaurant and Motel One have opened. And the square is also to be fully lit by January 2021.

 The construction works on the piazza in the city centre are for the most part complete.

The construction works on the piazza in the city centre are for the most part complete.

Foto: Benjamin Westhoff

Work on the new piazza in the centre of Bonn is nearing completion. The grid barriers have now been removed and most of the newly created square on Maximilianstrasse is now accessible. Three beds planted with small shrubs bring some life to the square. Several stone benches have been added, although the wooden slats for the seats are still missing. Cobblestones are piled up on pallets next to Motel One.

The hotel opened at the beginning of the week. The company explained the decision to open: "We are contractually bound, the hotel was finished and taken over". It has a total of 235 rooms. On the first day, the hotel had just eight guests. But at the moment, few people are taking business trips. "And in the end, like all hotels, we are dependent on the government’s measures and orders."

There is a bar in the hotel foyer which will be open for all guests after lockdown. "Gin fans in particular will be delighted," the leaseholder explained. "You can choose from over 50 varieties, including local gins from the region.”

But so far there is not much happening on the square. "It's quite built up," says a man walking across. He thinks that the square was at its best before the buildings were there, and would have preferred a large, spacious square. But the 34-year-old from Bonn also thinks that the new buildings are an improvement on the Bonner Loch. "And considering how many years it took to renovate Römerstraße, things here went fast”.

Three teenagers eating their Asian food on the piazza just a few metres away see the redesign of the square very positively. "There are some new shops now like Primark," says 17-year-old Antonio. "The city centre of Bonn has definitely improved as a result". His friend Faisal, who is the same age, agrees. "It is definitely really nice now," he says of the new design.

Piazza Ma’loa is a Hawaiian restaurant that opened here last week. It offers salads, at the moment only take-away due to corona regulations. "I'm surprised at how well things are going," says Liza Quick. There wasn't much activity on opening day, she says, because it rained heavily. But on Sunday, they welcomed a lot of interested customers. "And we have lots of orders through Lieferando.”

A provisional lighting system in the centre of the square ensures that it is not pitch-black in the evenings. A permanent installation is to be installed by January, said Kirsten Lehnert, on behalf of the project developer. "The Piazza and Maximilianstrasse in the direction of Poststrasse are to be extensively covered by a lighting network and the area will be well lit. This will prevent "trouble spots", she explained.

(Original text: Thomas Leurs, Translation: Caroline Kusch)

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