Bad Godesburg facts for kids

Bad Godesburg

Coat of Arms
Area:	31.97 km²
Population:	70,525 (2004)
Official website:	Stadtbezirke Bad Godesberg
Politics
Mayor:	Annette Schwolen-Flümann, CDU

Bad Godesberg is a district of the city of Bonn in southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 until 1999, Bonn was the capital of West Germany. During that time, many foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg. Some of these buildings are still used today as smaller embassy offices or consulates.

A Look Back in Time

Bad Godesberg has a long and interesting history. Here are some key moments:

• 722: The town was first officially mentioned. It is near a mountain called Godesberg. This mountain was once considered a holy place for the god Wotan by the Ubii, an old Germanic tribe.
• 1210: On October 15, Dietrich I von Hengebach, who was the Archbishop of Cologne, started building the Godesburg castle.
• 1583: On December 17, the Godesburg castle was destroyed. This happened after Archbishop Gebhard from Waldburg-Zeil hid there. He had converted to Protestantism, which caused a conflict.
• 1792: Godesberg became known as a spa resort. A spa resort is a place where people go to relax and use special waters for health. The German word for spa is bad.
• 1925: The town was officially allowed to add "Bad" to its name, becoming "Bad Godesberg".
• 1935: Bad Godesberg officially became a town.
• 1959: The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) created a new party plan, known as the Godesberg Program.
• 1969: Bad Godesberg became a part of the city of Bonn. Since then, it has been known as a fancy or "posh" part of Bonn.

Godesburg Ruins.

Friends Around the World

Bad Godesberg is twinned with several towns in other countries. This means they have special friendly relationships and often exchange visitors or ideas.

• Saint-Cloud in France (since 1957)
• Frascati in Italy (since 1960)
• Windsor and Maidenhead in the United Kingdom (since 1960)
• Kortrijk in Belgium (since 1964)