The renovation of a house not only serves to maintain its value and personal comfort, but can also, in the best case, serve to pass on an architectural heritage if done well. This is exactly what the façade competition is all about, which the city of Bonn has been organizing together with Sparkasse Köln-Bonn and the Haus und Grund Bonn/Rhein-Sieg association for many decades.
With the award, the city of Bonn and its partners want to recognize the efforts of homeowners who have had a positive impact on the streetscape by extensively renovating the appearance of their often historic property. Deputy Mayor Nicole Unterseh presented the certificates and prizes to the award-winning owners in a festive setting in the Old Town Hall. She was supported by Martina Westebbe, Head of Private Customers Bonn and Cologne-Southeast at Sparkasse Köln-Bonn, and Wieland Münch, Chairman of the Board of Haus & Grund Bonn/Rhein-Sieg - the two sponsors of the façade competition.
"Bonn is particularly rich in façades worthy of preservation, which are exemplary for their respective periods and which characterize our cityscape. With a professional renovation, the homeowners and the commissioned craftsmen contribute to the preservation of a piece of the city's history," said Deputy Mayor Nicole Unterseh in her welcoming address.
11,000 euros in total prize money
A total of 14 owners submitted their applications. The jury, chaired by architect Stefan Schevardo and made up of city planning officer Helmut Wiesner as well as other architects and two master painters, discussed each property. The jury's decision was based on the evaluation criteria of the style and appropriateness of the renovation, the harmony of shapes and colors and the overall impression. The committee had a total of 11,000 euros in prize money to distribute. Sparkasse Köln-Bonn, a sponsor since 1982, provided 8,500 euros. The Haus & Grund Bonn/Rhein-Sieg association contributed 2,500 euros and is supporting the competition for the 15th time. The mayor expressly thanked the two sponsors, without whose commitment the competition would not have been possible, as well as the jury, which evaluated the submitted objects on a voluntary basis.
The 1st prizes, endowed with 1,800 euros each, went to:
- Händelstraße 18
- Kessenich Street 119
- Michaelstraße 7
The 2nd prize, endowed with 1,100 euros each, goes to
- Bismarckstraße 20
- Humboldtstrasse 16
- Jean-Paul-Straße 6
The jury selected the following properties for 3rd place, endowed with 750 euros each:
- Blücherstraße 25
- Jean-Paul-Strasse 4
- Kurfürstenstrasse 13
Monument protection is not a prerequisite for participation
Even though many of the award-winning façades are from the Wilhelminian style districts of Südstadt or the villa district of Bad Godesberg, listed buildings are not a prerequisite for participating in the façade competition and receiving an award. Owners of buildings of all ages can take part. And even in the case of "normal" buildings, sensitivity to the building's characteristics, skillful implementation and harmonious integration into the streetscape can be worthy of an award. The City of Bonn therefore expressly encourages all building owners to consider taking part in the competition after a renovation.
The façade competition has been held since 1972. It has been held every two years since 2015. The closing date for entries is September 30 of each odd-numbered year. The award ceremony takes place the following year. For the next competition, the documents must therefore be submitted by September 30, 2025. All information can be found at www.bonn.de/fassadenwettbewerb, (opens in a new tab) where there will also be a picture gallery with the award-winning façades and excerpts from the jury statements after the award ceremony. The application forms for the next façade competition can be found here (opens in a new tab).