Programme of side events for the 13th International Metropolis Conference
Pre-Conference Tours
Nine tours to different cities wer planned and conducted before the start of the official part of the conference. Besides visiting touristic places and getting to know the surroundings of Bonn, the trips offered the possibility of getting a closer look at social institutions related to the topics migration and integration.
Tour 1: Solingen
Urban Development and Cultural Diversity in Solingen, the "City of Blades"
Tour 2: Duisburg
Religious Diversity and Multicultural Youth Arts in Duisburg
Tour 3A, 3B Cologne
Continuing Education, Integration and Refugees in Cologne
Tour 4: Cologne
Nippes Museum Centre
Tour 5: Essen
Culture and Migration in Essen, the Ruhr Metropolis
Tour 6: Duesseldorf
The Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia
Tour 7: Bonn
Cultural Diversity, Integration and Migration Policies in Bonn
Tour 8: Bonn
The former German capital and its future as an International and UN City
Tour 9: Bonn
Boat Trip on the Rhine River
Programme of Side Events
Rhine river trip to Linz on the MS Beethoven
The MS Beethoven departed from the Rhine promenade directly opposite the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB) and travel up the river on a two-hour trip to Linz. During the voyage there was a commentary to inform guests about the many places of interest along the banks of the Rhine.
Evening reception given by City of Bonn at the Deutsche Welle
For the official opening, the participants were welcomed to the 13th International Metropolis Conference by the Mayor of Bonn as her guests at a reception in the foyer of the Deutsche Welle building.
Evening event in the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB)
"Meeting Beethoven"
Local actors and musicians from Bonn had prepared an evening show specially for the Metropolis Conference. In a performance lasting around an hour, musical offerings were be combined with scenes acted out from the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. The evening's entertainment stage was in the circle of the plenary chamber at the WCCB with alternating performances by the musicians and the actors dressed in historical costumes from Beethoven's time.
After the performance, the actors will mingled with the audience, and guests had an opportunity to be photographed together with the players in their costumes, including the great man himself.
Guided tours through selected museums in Bonn
Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
House of the History of the FRG
The "Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" was established to present the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR as a permanent exhibition. Another mission of this "house of history" is to build up an historical collection to document the issues concerning this part of German history.
The idea behind the exhibition is to encourage visitors to engage openly with recent German history and to stimulate a lively discussion of the past. It contains a wealth of fascinating original artefacts - documents, photographs and objects – that bring history to life. The presentational structure is chronological, combining political, economic and social history and also showing important artistic and cultural trends as well as people's everyday living conditions.
Beethoven-Haus
Beethoven's Birth Place
One of the most famous people to hail from Bonn is, of course, Ludwig van Beethoven. His birthplace in the city centre has become an important attraction for visitors from all over the world. It is the city's first address for visiting music lovers. The museum displays the world's largest Beethoven collection. His life and works are visualised by the impressive authentic documents on show.
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Art and Exhibition Hall of the FRG
Bonn's world-class art and exhibition centre, the "Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland", has been presenting a varied programme of major exhibitions since 1992. This large space, totalling 5,600 mē, hosts changing exhibitions from the fields of art and cultural history as well as science and technology. During the Metropolis Conference, guests visiting the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle were able to see the exhibition entitled "Rome and the Barbarians – Europe during the Migration Period".
Kunstmuseum Bonn
Bonn Artmuseum
As Bonn's city art gallery, the "Kunstmuseum Bonn" has a collection that started back in 1884 with works acquired at the Villa Obernier Museum. Today's modern gallery has a special place within Germany's museum scene. Only in Bonn can art lovers find such a large concentration of paintings that document the history of post-war German art. It is a wonderfully multi-layered repository of works, for which the museum architecture of Axel Schulte provides an ideal setting. The overall collection covers "Art from 1900 to tomorrow" with an implicit orientation on the future rather than the past. Individual focuses include the Rhenish Expressionism, West German art of the 1950s and, more strongly, German works from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and now increasingly the 1990s.
Closing Dinner on the Petersberg
The Metropolis Conference concluded with a dinner at the invitation of the Ministry for Inter-Generation and Family Affairs, Women and Integration of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia and the Mercator Foundation at a very special location: Hotel Petersberg, some 10 km from Bonn, standing high above the Rhine and situated in Germany's oldest nature conservation park. From there, wonderful views along the Rhine valley can be enjoyed.
Metropolis guests and staff were invited to come together in this exclusive ambiance and discuss the conference outcomes in a relaxed setting of good food and music. On initiative of the Mercator Foundation Ms Ratna Omidvar, President of The Maytree Foundation (Canada), spoke about "Foundations and Integration: More than Money!" The evening's musical accompaniment was provided by members of the State Youth Orchestra.
The Hotel, which stands on the 330 metre-high Petersberg, has often hosted high-level international gatherings of historical importance. It was once (1945–52) the seat of the tripartite Allied High Commission, before being converted into the German government's "Federal Guesthouse" for official visitors. The many guests of state to have stayed here include Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, the Shah of Persia, King Bhumipol of Thailand, and the Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. In the 1980s the original 100-year-old hotel building was largely demolished and replaced by a modern structure. In 2001 the famous Afghanistan conference took place on the Petersberg.
