The Beethovens on the Rhine: Exploring Beethoven's Love of Nature

In 1733, Ludwig van Beethoven's grandfather arrived in Bonn, Germany, a small town along the Rhine River, to work as a court musician. The family lived in this town for the next two generations. This exhibition illustrates how everyday life in Bonn shaped Beethoven's upbringing, and how the beautiful Rhineland helped to foster his lifelong love of nature. It traces Ludwig's trip up the Rhine with his mother, musical tours, and his four-month visit to Vienna when he was barely sixteen. While examining the hardships and adventures of his childhood, the exhibition explores Bonn's cultural life and Beethoven's general and musical education. The continuation of the exhibition inside the Beethoven Center features Bonn's celebration of the 75th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 1845 with the unveiling of a monument in his honor.