Bad Honnef
Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bad Honnef (German pronunciation: [baːt ˈhɔnɛf] ⓘ) is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate. To the north it lies on the slopes of the Drachenfels (“Dragon's Rock”) mountain, part of the Siebengebirge.
Bad Honnef | |
|---|---|
 Bad Honnef seen from the Drachenfels | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bad Honnef
within Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district  | |
 Location of Bad Honnef | |
  Bad Honnef  Bad Honnef | |
| Coordinates: 50°38′42″N 7°13′37″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Köln |
| District | Rhein-Sieg-Kreis |
| Subdivisions | 20 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2025–30) | Philipp Herzog[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 48.17 km2 (18.60 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 455 m (1,493 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 25,061 |
| • Density | 520.3/km2 (1,347/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 53604 |
| Dialling codes | 02224 |
| Vehicle registration | SU |
| Website | www.bad-honnef.de |
Overview
Bad Honnef is home to a mineral spring called the Drachenquelle ("Dragon Spring") which was discovered in 1897. This discovery led to Honnef, as the town was called at the time, transforming from a wine-growing town to a spa town, adding the prefix Bad to its name. The mineral spring has been used for both drinking and bathing,[3] and its existence has historically been a big draw for visitors including Queen Sophie of Sweden, who visited from 1892 to 1906.[4]
Bad Honnef includes several districts, such as Aegidienberg, Rhöndorf, and Lohfelderfähre, which is located near the Rhine ferry crossing to Rolandseck. During his term as first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (then West Germany), Konrad Adenauer lived (and died) in Bad Honnef, as it was near Bonn, then the capital of the republic. Also, German politician and leader of the Free Democratic Party Guido Westerwelle was born in Bad Honnef.
Since the 1980s Bad Honnef has developed into an important place for conferences in Germany. Because of the close proximity to the still internationally important Federal City of Bonn, a number federal institutions used to be located in Bad Honnef. A number of important politicians, such as Willy Brandt and Konrad Adenauer, lived in Bad Honnef while active in politics.[5]
The head office of the Nationalpark Siebengebirge project was also planned to be in Bad Honnef;[6] however the project was rejected in a referendum on 27 September 2009.[7]
Bad Honnef has the highest purchasing power of all towns in North Rhine-Westphalia; its percentage of millionaires is also one of the highest.[8] With 26.5% it has one of the highest percentage populations over 65 years old in North Rhine-Westphalia.[9]
Politics
City council
After the 2025 local elections, the Bad Honnef city council is composed as follows:
| Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 5,406 | 42.2 |  9.6 |
17 | 7 | |
| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) | 2,663 | 20.8 |  7.5 |
8 | 1 | |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1,694 | 13.2 | 4.5 |
5 | 1 | |
| Citizens' Block Bad Honnef e.V. (BB) | 1,401 | 10.9 | 4.4 |
4 | 1 | |
| Volt (Volt) | 565 | 4.4 | New | 2 | New | |
| Alternative for Germany (AfD) | 551 | 4.3 | New | 2 | New | |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 546 | 4.3 | 2.0 |
2 | ±0 | |
| Valid votes | 12,826 | 98.7 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 176 | 1.4 | ||||
| Total | 13,002 | 100.0 | 40 | 8 | ||
| Electorate/voter turnout | 20,497 | 63.4 | ||||
| Source: City of Bad Honnef | ||||||
Mayors
| Term of office | Mayors[10] |
|---|---|
| 1862–1876 | Clemens Joseph Adams (1831–1876) |
| 1877–1889 | Aloys Hubert Schumacher |
| 1889–1907 | Theodor Waechter |
| 1907–1919 | Peter Joseph Brenig |
| 1919–1929 | Albert Berns |
| 1929–1933 | Alfred von Reumont (1898–1984) |
| 1933–1934 | Heinrich Behr |
| 1934–1935 | temporary von Wittich |
| 1935–1945 | Johannes „Hans“ Schloemer |
| 1945–1946 | Heinrich Goertz |
| 1946–1949 | Jakob Mölbert |
| 1949–1952 | Peter Rustemeyer |
| 1952–1962 | Jakob Mölbert |
| 1962–1964 | Albert Weidenbach |
| 1964–1972 | Jakob Mölbert |
| 1972–1982 | Franz Josef Kayser (1928–2015) |
| 1982–1990 | Werner Osterbrink |
| 1990–1999 | Franz Josef Kayser |
| 1999–2004 | Hans-Peter Brassel |
| 2004–2014 | Wally Feiden (born 1940) |
| 2014–2025 | Otto Neuhoff |
| since 2025 | Philipp Herzog |
Twin towns – sister cities
Bad Honnef is twinned with:[11]
Berck, France
Cadenabbia (Griante), Italy
Ludvika, Sweden
Wittichenau, Germany
Notable people
- Curt Haase (1881–1943), general in World War II
- Boris Papandopulo (1906–1991), composer and conductor
- Franz Brungs (born 1936), football player and coach
- Peter Frankenberg (born 1947), professor and politician (CDU), minister in Baden-Württemberg
- Peter Hintze (1950–2016), politician (CDU), 2013–2016 Vice-President of the Bundestag
- Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016), politician (FDP), Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany (2009–2013)
- Sydney Lohmann (born 2000), football player
- Alfred Nourney (1892–1972), socialite and Titanic survivor
