Bonn lies on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in the 1st century BC as a Roman settlement, Bonn is one of Germany's oldest cities. From 1949 to 1990, Bonn was the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Romanesque Minster church with its 900-year-old cloister, the Old Town Hall, the electoral palaces which now form part of the University are just some of the highlights.

Bonn is the birthplace of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Ludwig was born in the rear building at no. 20 Bonngasse. He spent the first four years of his life here. The Beethoven House accommodates the most extensive Beethoven collection worldwide, including paintings and portraits, original manuscripts and first editions of important works, Beethoven's last grand piano, his string quartet instruments and ear trumpets.

The Bonn Minster is one of Germany's oldest churches, having been built between the 11th and 13th centuries. It was built on the graves of the two martyred Roman soldiers who later got promoted to be the city's patron saints. It got its Gothic look in the 13th century but the Romanesque origins survive beautifully in the cloister. The interior furnishings are largely Baroque, except for the 12th-century baptismal font.

The historic Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) is located behind the University directly by the market. The building with the decorated rococo facade houses the offices and representative rooms of the mayor. Crowning the center of the city's old town, the building has hosted some of the country's most esteemded visitors. The central monument on the square is a obelisk that dates back to 1777.