The city of Bonn (bn) is on the west bank of the Rhine River 20 miles south of Cologne (k-ln´). The city proper has a population of about 55,000. With its suburbs it contains some 80,000 people. Its chief points of interest to the traveler are its university, its cathedral, its market place, and the great bridge here shown. The Rhine Bridge is one of the most beautiful in Germany. It is built in 3 arches supported by 4 abutments. As you see, the 2 of these in the river are topped by towers connected by an arched building. The towers are decorated with carved figures. One of these figures is a man who has his back turned toward the city of Beuel (bûl) on the opposite side of the river, because the people of Beuel refused to help build the bridge. The central arch of the bridge is 615 feet long. Each of the other arches is 400 feet long, making the entire length of the bridge 1,415 feet. The Rhine at this place is from 10 to 30 feet deep. Until the bridge was built in 1898 ferryboats carried passengers and freight across the river. The University has about 4,000 students and is one of the most famous in Germany. It is one of the favorite places for the education of the nobleman of Prussia. It was founded in 1818. Bonn is the birthplace of the musical composer, Beethoven. Here you see the house in which he was born. In this house are his piano, and other of his musical instruments. Bonn is built on the site of a Roman fortress constructed 10 B. C. For a long while it was the headquarters of several Roman legions. In the Middle Ages it underwent siege after siege. It was at that time a walled city, but the walls were destroyed in 1717. Which way is Bonn from Berlin? Name the most important German cities on the Rhine. Keystone ID: 10339 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.