Bad Honnef
Town
Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels
Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels
Coat of arms of Bad Honnef
Coat of arms
Location of Bad Honnef within Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district
Rhineland-PalatinateBonnCologneEuskirchen (district)Oberbergischer KreisRheinisch-Bergischer KreisRhein-Erft-KreisAlfterBad HonnefBornheim (Rheinland)EitorfHennef (Sieg)KönigswinterLohmarMeckenheimMuchNeunkirchen-SeelscheidNiederkasselRheinbachRuppichterothSankt AugustinSiegburgSwisttalTroisdorfWachtbergWindeck
Bad Honnef is located in Germany
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef
Coordinates: 50°38′42″N 7°13′37″E / 50.64500°N 7.22694°E / 50.64500; 7.22694
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionKöln
DistrictRhein-Sieg-Kreis
Subdivisions20
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Otto Neuhoff[1]
Area
 • Total48.3 km2 (18.6 sq mi)
Highest elevation
455 m (1,493 ft)
Lowest elevation
53 m (174 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total26,061
 • Density540/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

Bad Honnef (German: [baːt ˈhɔnəf] ⓘ) 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

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.[3]

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 of 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;[4] however the project was rejected in a referendum on 27 September 2009.[5]

Bad Honnef has the highest purchasing power of all towns in North Rhine-Westphalia; its percentage of millionaires is also one of the highest.[6]

Mayors

Term of office Mayors[7]
1862–1876 Clemens Joseph Adams (1831–1876)
1877–1889 Aloys Hubert Schumacher
1889–1907 Theodor Waechter
1907–1919 Peter Joseph Brenig
1919–1929 Albert Berns
1929–1933 Alfred von Reumont (1898–1984)
1933–1934 Heinrich Behr
1934–1935 temporary von Wittich
1935–1945 Johannes „Hans“ Schloemer
1945–1946 Heinrich Goertz
1946–1949 Jakob Mölbert
1949–1952 Peter Rustemeyer
1952–1962 Jakob Mölbert
1962–1964 Albert Weidenbach
1964–1972 Jakob Mölbert
1972–1982 Franz Josef Kayser (1928–2015)
1982–1990 Werner Osterbrink
1990–1999 Franz Josef Kayser
1999–2004 Hans-Peter Brassel
2004–2014 Wally Feiden (born 1940)
since 2014 Otto Neuhoff

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Bad Honnef is twinned with:[8]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2022 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Honnef". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 659.
  4. ^ Informationssystem zum geplanten 'Bürgernationalpark Siebengebirge' Archived 2008-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "MeinBadHonnef".
  6. ^ Bad Honnefer haben das meiste Geld (16.12.2006) | Wirtschaft | Lokales | News | General-Anzeiger Online - Bonn
  7. ^ "Die Bürgermeister der Stadt (Bad) Honnef". Die Bad Honnefer (in German). Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.
  8. ^ "Städtepartnerschaften" (in German). Bad Honnef. Retrieved 2021-12-08.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bad Honnef.
Towns and municipalities in Rhein-Sieg-Kreis
Authority control databases
Categories