Psychedelic Kites and Musical NightsVacation in Historic Germany SettingsThis summer and fall, in the western part of Germany, Bonn, Bremen and Munster are treating visitors to some impressive local events. Two-thousand year old Bonn, is today a city of 330,000. Residents and visitors enjoy plenty of park and garden space, since 39% of the city is green area. This baroque "City of Beethoven" on the banks of the Rhine, will celebrate its famous son with music, theater, art, food and places of historical importance to the genius composer’s life. From September 25 to October 10, Bonn will open its historic buildings including the original Beethoven House and the Augustusburg Palace, a UNESCO world heritage site, as venues for the International Beethoven Festival. Works of the composer and his contemporaries will be performed by major musicians from Germany and around the world.
Beethoven Festival Information Hotline The air will fill with music during the "Festival on the Mile of Museums" when a variety of international performers entertain in both open air and historic venues. Electric Light Orchestra will play on August 6, Justus Frantz and the Philharmony of the Nations on August 13. Festival of Lusophonie, a Brazilian-Portuguese ensemble, will premiere their composition "Musicas de Sol e Lua" on July 10. International jazz, blues, soul and funk musicians will offer their swinging rhythms at the "Bonner Summer," an open-air festival taking place August 8 at the market square in front of Bonn’s historic town hall. Just nine miles from Bonn is Siegburg, a city which honors its famous son, composer Engelbert Humperdinck, with a delightful musical celebration each year. This year’s festival takes place August 31 through September 17 and a variety of concerts and composers will be featured, including Humperdinck’s famous Hansel and Gretel. Festival packages with hotel are available. Information Bremen, Germany’s oldest coastal city, is a little known treasure. Located just 74 miles southwest of Hamburg, visitors to the city are seduced by the aroma of freshly imported fruits, coffee, cocoa, lumber and tobacco which give the city a vibrant, international ambiance. In addition to the lure of Bremen’s famous Beck’s brewery, visitors are offered an array of captivating summer events. Bremen Summer of Theater offers Shakespeare in the Park in June and July. A variety of the Bard’s offerings will be staged in German at the Burgerpark. Bremer Shakespeare Company At International Bremen Summer, August 11-15, market vendors, artisans and exhibitors from 52 countries will present their culinary specialties, arts, ornaments and crafts. The plaza in front of the old city hall is the festive venue for the event. On the plaza is the statue of Roland, an eighth-century hero. Bremen Music Festival takes place August 28 through October 3 and combines traditional and avant-garde offerings. Decaf coffee was invented in Bremen, but in between cultural activities, beer aficionados will enjoy a tour of the world-famous Beck’s Brewery and enjoy refreshing samples. Guided tours of the brewery and stables, home to the strong wagon horses, are offered weekdays between 10am and 5pm. Bremer Touristik Zentrale Celebrated for its cobblestone streets, moated castles, baroque beauty and magnificent structures in the Roman, Gothic and Renaissance styles, the city of Munster provides an intoxicating backdrop for events this summer. The exciting Munster Tournament of Champions is a seasonal highlight taking place August 20 to 22. The Tournament of Champions, now in its 38th year, is one of the largest horse shows in Germany. Held at the Westerholtschen Wiesen and on the magnificent grounds in front of the Munster Castle, the event is a major draw for equestrians and spectators alike. No visitors will want to miss the show jumping competitions, dressage and other exhilarating events. The capital of Westphalia, Munster, will be flying high August 6-8 during the 11th International Kite Festival. The skies above Munster’s Lake Aasee will be a kaleidoscope of color when some 200 kite experts from around the world display their creativity and aerial skills with stunning airborne creations. Spectators will thrill to the sight of such entries as the mini-kites, 100-foot long flying octopuses, chain kites with hundreds of inter-connected segments, the multifaceted, star-shaped and even the fighter kites. A music program is scheduled for Friday evening, August 6 and a kite and fireworks display and night flights will take place beginning at dusk on August 7. Festivities will include games for both young and old and plenty of food and refreshments will be on hand. The city of Munster offers guests Two Full Days of Rest and Relaxation. The package facilitates partaking of the "good life" Munster-style with one night at the Park-hotel Hohenfeld, a four-course, candlelit dinner, breakfast buffet, use of indoor pool, sauna and bicycles. A welcome fruit basket and surprise "pick-me-up" upon arrival, bowling and an evening in a traditional Westphalian tavern. Information Munster’s flat terrain is ideal for cycling and relaxing walks. There are miles of hiking trails surrounding Lake Aasee, a water sports center. The zoo, dolphin aquarium and Westphalian Natural History Museum are among the attractions visitors enjoy. Augsburg, Bonn, Bremen, Erfurt, Freiburg, Heidelburg, Lubeck, Munster, Potsdam, Regensburg, Rostock, Trier and Wurzburg are joined together as the Historic Highlights of Germany. While each has its own unique attractions and special events, all are known for an abundance of well preserved churches, chapels, museums, castles, town halls and historic houses. Augsberg, Bonn, Bremen, Erfurt, Heidelberg, Lubeck, Potsdam, Rostock, Trier and Wurzburg offer citycards. These voucher booklets provide many advantages, including free or reduced rate admittance to many attractions, use of public transportation and excursions. The Historic Highlights of Germany cities also offer hotels and restaurants conveniently located for visitors as well as facilities for meetings, conventions and incentive travelers. Travel via German Rail to all cities is quick and reliable, and Lufthansa’s nineteen gateways in Germany provide easy access to Historic Highlights. For further information on packages and travel to Historic Highlights of Germany, contact: German National Tourist Office Edited by Dave Shultz |
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The festival is divided into orchestral, solo, church, chamber and matinee concerts. Ricardo Muti will conduct the Orchestra La Scala in the Egmont Overture, Schuman’s Fourth and Beethoven’s Seventh symphonies. The National Orchestra of Lyon will do a concert performance of the Berlioz opera, The Damnation of Faust. Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic will offer Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Joshua Bell will play Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Andras Schiff, the early Beethoven sonatas, Opus 10 and Opus 13. At the Church of Saint Remigius, the site of Beethoven’s baptism, the composer’s oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, will be performed.