The celebrations began on September 1, 2023 with a ceremony by the German Bundestag at Museum Koenig to mark the 75th anniversary of the constituent session of the Parliamentary Council. They will continue until the 75th anniversary of the constituent session of the First German Bundestag in September 2024. As Bonn is the cradle of the Basic Law and the most stable democracy on German soil, the anniversaries will be held under the motto "75 years of the Basic Law. Democracy made in Bonn".
Events planned in the city and from within the urban community
Now that the Bonn City Council has given its approval to the planned municipal activities on September 19, 2023, the administration is embarking on further preparations. Numerous decentralized events are being planned in the city and within urban society. The entire urban community is invited to take part.
"I am grateful to the Council for its support," says Mayor Katja Dörner. "We want to celebrate this anniversary together in a dignified manner and emphasize the importance of democracy. A democratic community cannot be taken for granted, which is why it is important to raise democratic awareness in our society."
The city's activities under the leadership of the Office of Press, Protocol and Public Relations will focus on a major celebration for citizens on May 25, 2024. There will once again be an "Open Day" at the Federal President's official residence in Bonn, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will also open its office. The Bundesrat invites visitors to its Bonn premises, and the former plenary chamber of the Bundestag in today's WorldCCBonn can also be visited. The German Bundestag will also be presenting itself on United Nations Square with its Infomobile.
In order to raise public awareness of Bonn and its historical, German and current international significance on these occasions, the City of Bonn will produce additional special publications in 2023 and 2024, as well as placing regional and national advertisements and implementing tourism marketing measures.
Internet presence with online Events Calendar
The City of Bonn is also paying tribute to the importance of democracy and the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law with a new website. The website https://demokratie.bonn.de (opens in a new tab) contains texts and numerous - historical - photos on the work of the Parliamentary Council, the promulgation and entry into force of the Basic Law and the First German Bundestag.
As the City of Bonn is involved as co-organizer and co-coordinator of the anniversary programme, it has already invited various multipliers and interest groups to an initial network meeting. One of the aims of the exchange is to present all anniversary events of institutions, associations, organizations and facilities together on the Internet. The online Events Calendar www.bonn.de/veranstaltungen-75-jahre-demokratie (opens in a new tab) can be used for this purpose.