9. Honoring Beethoven in Bonn

Beethoven did not live long enough to celebrate his 75th birthday, but the city of Bonn marked the occasion by erecting a Beethoven monument in the Münsterplatz. In August 1845, thousands of Europeans gathered in Bonn to witness the unveiling of the statue and attend the concerts and other festivities. But it was a project fraught with funding difficulties, a fair amount of chaos, and many bruised egos. This part of the "Beethovens on the Rhine" exhibition recounts the colorful and sometimes humorous history of this event.