Bonn: Germany's former capital
Germany decided to move its parliament from Bonn to Berlin in 1991, one year after German reunification. The city is today no longer a European capital, but residents say it has fared well.
Once upon a time
Perhaps best known as composer Ludwig van Beethoven's birthplace, Bonn was transformed into the heart of German political life four years after World War II when it was made West Germany's provisional capital. But as Germany began the years-long process of reunification in the 1990s, the government was set to move to Berlin.
The decision
On June 20, 1991, Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, passed legislation to move itself, along with other government bodies, to Berlin. Part of the deal stipulated that a handful of ministries would remain in Bonn, including defense and economic cooperation.
Relief
The move to Berlin was a drawn-out process, one that Bonn's residents feared might negate the city's relevance in Germany's political life. However, the 1991 legislation provided nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) to the city to lessen the impact of the move.
Farewell diplomats
Bonn's diplomatic presence was most hit by the transfer of Germany's seat of government. The majority of diplomatic missions and embassies in Germany moved to Berlin following reunification. However, the former building of Germany's foreign ministry still houses a division of the justice ministry.
No loss
But how did business fare in the wake of the move? Jan Erik Ruelfs of Foto Brell, a store that opened in Bonn after World War II to sell second-hand cameras, told DW that although the move meant a loss in his diplomatic clientele, it didn't have a significant impact on business. "We still print the same quantity of photographs now as we did in the 1980s and 1990s"
'Uninteresting'
A worker at the Bonn Minster, one of Germany's oldest Catholic churches, described the transfer of the capital as "uninteresting." She said the move had had no impact on the number of visitors and worshipers who frequent the church.
Demands
The Hofgarten in front of the University of Bonn was the site of some of West Germany's biggest demonstrations. In 1979, more than 100,000 people joined an anti-nuclear protest following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the US. Today, the park is frequented by students, tourists and residents of Bonn.
Once a chancellery
The West German cabinet in 1969 decided that the Palais Schaumburg manor was insufficient for the needs of the chancellor, and decided to construct a new building. In 1976, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt became the first occupant of the new Chancellery. The building served as the chancellor's office and residence until 1999, when the move to Berlin was completed.
'Better world'
The former Bundestag office building in Bonn now belongs to the UN. It hosts 18 organizations and agencies, including the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is known as "Langer (Tall) Eugen," a nod to former Bundestag President Eugen Gerstenmaier. The building behind it was planned to provide further government offices - but is now home to Deutsche Welle.