A new attraction for Beethoven pilgrims planned in Bonn
February 27, 2018
Bonn is known as the place where Ludwig van Beethoven was born, yet many are unconvinced that the city has truly exploited this unique selling point — the Beethoven House, Beethovenfest and various monuments dedicated to the memory of the great composer notwithstanding.
By 2020, 250 years after his birth, Bonn's Beethoven connection will be truly evident, hopes the Beethoven Anniversary Society. The Society announced on Tuesday plans for the "Beethoven Story." Offering a pilgrimage in Bonn and vicinity with 22 informational panels, 10 of them in the inner city, the project is to trace the most important stations in the early biography of the composer, who moved to Vienna as a young man.
Multimedia experience
After inviting proposals from across Europe, the Society chose Müller-Rieger of Munich, a firm experienced in multimedia presentations, to create the "Beethoven-Story." Inscriptions and videos in six languages on square panels or flat columns are to be erected by autumn 2019 and remain there beyond the anniversary year.
"The panels will expand the visitor's spacial experience beyond the particular location," said Christian Lorenz, the Beethoven Anniversary Society's artistic manager. "We were particularly impressed by the combination of the most novel technology and classic 'markers' of important locations. The panels will impact the city image and can be updated as needed."
The visual leitmotiv on the panels are the five letters BTHVN, mirroring passers-by or serving as a space for LED screens.
The Beethoven Anniversary Society chose five central themes to highlight in the 250th year after Beethoven's birth. One of them, "Citizens of Bonn," will find its central expression in the "Beethoven Story."