Ever heard of a place that served Prince-Electors K\u00f6lsch and original Rhenish Sauerbraten? That place was Im B\u00e4ren. It is the oldest inn in Bonn. Though its doors closed on December 31 2003 Im B\u00e4ren has a story to tell.
Let’s journey back to 1638. The beer house Zum B\u00e4ren opened. Fast forward to 1690 Anton Lenzen who was the innkeeper at that time obtained brewing rights. He got them from Prince-Elector Joseph Clemens. Imagine the lively atmosphere. People enjoyed K\u00f6lsch beer. They savored original Rhenish Sauerbraten. Students gathered upstairs.
For over 300 years Im B\u00e4ren was a Bonn institution. However times changed. Tastes evolved. Sadly the taps ran dry. The ovens cooled. Im B\u00e4ren closed its doors.
Today the former inn is part of a clothing store. Yet its history remains. It reminds us of Bonn’s past. Bonn is thought to have begun as a small settlement of Germanic people in 30 BC. A military settlement was established. It was known as Bonna. It had fortifications and a bridge. It was established on the River Rhine between 13 BC and 9 BC.
In Roman times Bonna became a major camp and fortress. Remains of Castra Bonnensia can still be found. They are in the northern part of the modern city. Two Christian soldiers were murdered here according to legend. A church was built over their burial site. This became the Bonn Minster. It is at the heart of the Old Town. It ranks amongst the oldest churches in Germany.
In 1244 Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden announced a defensive wall. It was to be constructed around Bonn. The settlement was granted a town charter. Over the next 300 years the town became the home of the court of the Prince-Elector of Cologne.
Bonn resisted attempts by Luther to introduce the new religion. From 1597 the town became the official capital for the ecclesiastical Electorate of Cologne. Bonn survived the Thirty Years’ War. However in 1689 during the War of the League of Augsburg it was a different matter. The Habsburg candidate for the archbishopric was installed in the town.
Joseph Clemens von Bayern was responsible for an ambitious building plan. Clemens August built the Electoral Palace a new Town Hall and the Poppelsdorf Palace.
The Age of Enlightenment came to Bonn with Max Franz von Habsburg. He established a university. He developed the southern part of the city into a spa town. Ludwig van Beethoven gave his earliest concert performances here.
In 1794 Bonn was under French rule. The French occupation ended in 1814. The city lost its university. The church was divested of its powers. In 1815 the Rhineland was brought under Prussian control. A new university was founded. Karl Heinrich Marx was one of the scholars there.
After World War One Bonn was occupied by Anglo-Canadian forces. Then it came under French control once more. The inter-war period was a time of unrest. Allied bombing in World War Two destroyed the city centre. At the end of the war Bonn came under British control. In 1946 it became part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It became the capital of West Germany in 1949.
After German unification in 1990 Bonn lost its capital city status. It retained some government roles. As the Federal City of Germany it is an unofficial second capital.
So while Im B\u00e4ren no longer serves beer and Sauerbraten it remains a symbol. It stands as a reminder of Bonn’s rich and varied history. It connects us to centuries of stories and traditions. It is a piece of Bonn’s past that continues to resonate today.