Bad Honnef

Bad Honnef (German: [baːt ˈhɔnəf] (listen)) is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate. To the north it lies on the slopes of the Drachenfels (“Dragon's Rock”) mountain, part of the Siebengebirge.

Honnef, Aerial view
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels
Coat of arms
Location of Bad Honnef within Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district
BornheimHennefMuch
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef
Coordinates: 50°38′42″N 7°13′37″E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionKöln
DistrictRhein-Sieg-Kreis
Subdivisions20
Government
 • MayorOtto Neuhoff
Area
 • Total48.3 km2 (18.6 sq mi)
Highest elevation
455 m (1,493 ft)
Lowest elevation
53 m (174 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total25,812
 • Density530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
53604
Dialling codes02224
Vehicle registrationSU
Websitewww.bad-honnef.de

Overview

Bad Honnef is home to a mineral spring called the Drachenquelle ("Dragon Spring") which was discovered in 1897. This discovery led to Honnef, as the town was called at the time, transforming from a wine-growing town to a spa town, adding the prefix Bad to its name. The mineral spring has been used for both drinking and bathing.[2]

The villages of Aegidienberg, Selhof and Rhöndorf are considered to be part of Bad Honnef. During his term as first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (then West Germany), Konrad Adenauer lived (and died) in Bad Honnef, as it was near Bonn, then the capital the republic. Also, German politician and leader of the Free Democratic Party Guido Westerwelle was born in Bad Honnef.

Since the 1980s Bad Honnef has developed into an important place for conferences in Germany. Because of the close proximity to the still internationally important Federal City of Bonn, many federal institutions are located in Bad Honnef.

The head office of the Nationalpark Siebengebirge project was also planned to be in Bad Honnef;[3] however the project was rejected in a referendum on 27 September 2009.[4]

Bad Honnef has the highest purchasing power of all towns in North Rhine-Westphalia; its percentage of millionaires is also one of the highest.[5]

Mayors
Term of officeMayors[6]
1862–1876Clemens Joseph Adams (1831–1876)
1877–1889Aloys Hubert Schumacher
1889–1907Theodor Waechter
1907–1919Peter Joseph Brenig
1919–1929Albert Berns
1929–1933Alfred von Reumont (1898–1984)
1933–1934Heinrich Behr
1934–1935temporary von Wittich
1935–1945Johannes „Hans“ Schloemer
1945–1946Heinrich Goertz
1946–1949Jakob Mölbert
1949–1952Peter Rustemeyer
1952–1962Jakob Mölbert
1962–1964Albert Weidenbach
1964–1972Jakob Mölbert
1972–1982Franz Josef Kayser (1928–2015)
1982–1990Werner Osterbrink
1990–1999Franz Josef Kayser
1999–2004Hans-Peter Brassel
2004–2014Wally Feiden (born 1940)
since 2014Otto Neuhoff

People
  • Fritz Tillmann (1874–1953), theologian
  • Curt Haase (1881–1943), officer, last Colonel General and commander of the 15th Army in World War II
  • Boris Papandopulo (1906–1991), composer and conductor
  • Franz Brungs (born 1936), football player and coach
  • Peter Frankenberg (born 1947), professor and politician (CDU), minister in Baden-Württemberg
  • Peter Hintze (1950–2016), politician (CDU), 2013–2016 Vice-President of the Bundestag
  • Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016), politician, (FDP), Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (2009–2013)

Notes
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Honnef". Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 659.
  3. Informationssystem zum geplanten 'Bürgernationalpark Siebengebirge' Archived 2008-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. http://www.bad-honnef.de/service/rathaus/wahlen/index.php?status=story&typ=4&id=3600
  5. Bad Honnefer haben das meiste Geld (16.12.2006) | Wirtschaft | Lokales | News | General-Anzeiger Online - Bonn
  6. "Die Bürgermeister der Stadt (Bad) Honnef". Die Bad Honnefer (in German). Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.


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