The Redoute in

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg () is a borough () of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings are still used as br ...

, now part of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, Germany, is a hall opened in 1792 for balls of the court of

Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (Maximilian Franz Xaver Joseph Johann Anton de Paula Wenzel; 8 December 1756 – 27 July 1801) was Elector of Cologne and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights from 1780 until his death. Influenced by En ...

. When Bonn was the location of the government of the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

, from 1949 to 1990, state receptions were held at the Redoute. Today, the listed historical building is used for events.

History

When the spring water in Godesberg was found to be of spa quality,

developed the town as a spa. The Redoute was built in

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

from 1790, designed by . It was planned to be used for balls and other entertainment of the court and spa visitors. It was opened in 1792, and was a venue for balls, games, performances of plays, opera, ballet and concerts of the court orchestra, with

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

as a violinist and violist. In 1792, Beethoven played for

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, and they planned there that Beethoven would visit Vienna again to become a master student of Haydn. In 1793, Mozart's ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' was performed for the first time in Germany, only two years after the premiere in Vienna. The building was completed in 1820. When Bonn was under French government, entertainment stopped, and the building was used as an art gallery, and a school for girls. In 1856, the property was bought by Victor Wendelstadt (1819–1884), a banker from Cologne. The adjacent park was expanded and laid out as an

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

. A gate was taken from the garden that had to give way to the building of the Cologne Main station. The family arranged concerts by

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

, among others. On 22 January 1920, the town of Godesberg bought the building and the park to restore it to use it again as a spa with cultural events. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Redoute was used by the British Army. With the founding of the

Federal Republic A federal republic is a federation of Federated state, states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected re ...

, it became a location for receptions. A reception was held there on 12 September 1949 after

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His civil demeanour and his cordial nature – something of a contrast to German nati ...

had been elected the first

president of Germany The president of Germany, officially titled the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international correspondence; the official English title is President of the F ...

. The Redoute was the location to receive guests on state visits, also for the New Years's reception of the president (''Neujahrsempfang des Bundespräsidenten''), and for the celebration of national holidays by ambassadors. From 1973 to 1976, the Redoute was restored. The property was run from 1975 by Günnewig Hotels & Restaurants, offering the halls for private celebrations and for conferences. The government and ambassadors held receptions and events there until 1999. The Redoute was splendidly furnished with pieces in national property, selected based on images from the Bonner Kulturamt. The pieces were removed in 2010 when the contract ended. Further restoration and renovations began in early 2011, including technical improvements necessary to meet modern standards. From the end of 2011, ''La Redoute'' has been managed by Redoute Bonn GmbH, again offering rooms for private functions, seminars and weddings, among other purposes. The Redoute, its park and adjacent buildings are listed as historic buildings.

References

Literature

* , : ''Architekturführer Bonn''. Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1997, , p. 101. *

Hermann Josef Roth Hermann Josef Ludwig Roth (pseudonym: Antonius R.; author abbreviation: HJR) (b. 2 January 1938 at Montabaur) is a German theologian and scientist, cultural historian and historian of science, educator and monument preservation and nature conser ...

: ''DuMont Kunst-Reiseführer Bonn: von der römischen Garnison zur Bundeshauptstadt – Kunst und Natur zwischen Voreifel und Siebengebirge''. DuMont, Köln 1988, , p. 160/185. *

Paul Clemen Paul Clemen (31 October 1866 – 8 July 1947) was a German art historian known in particular for his large inventory of monuments in the Rhineland area, many of which were destroyed or severely damaged in World War II. Clemen was born in Leipzi ...

:
Kunstdenkmäler der Stadt und des Kreises Bonn
'. L. Schwann,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

1905, p. 293, = ', vol. 5, p. 589. ).

External links

* * *
La Redoute Bonn / Splendid historical concert and ballroom venue
(in English) redoute-bonn.de
La Redoute Bonn / Bonn-Bad Godesberg
nrw-tourismus.de

La Redoute - Bonn/ Bad Godesberg
tibg.eu {{authority control 1790s architecture Buildings and structures in Bonn Spas Heritage sites in North Rhine-Westphalia Neoclassical architecture in Germany