Special Activities for Guests and Spouses

While musician participants are engaged in quartet coaching sessions, guests and spouses
may take advantage of informally organized tours to explore and discover Bonn and the Rhine River region.
These tours are optional activities; entrance and/or other fees are not included in the cost of the conference.

DRACHENFELS TOUR

The castle “Schloss Drachenburg”
is an extraordinary edifice, built between 1882-1884 for the stock broker Stephan von Sarter. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the connection of experiencing nature and culture, of romantic landscape and unique history has attracted thousands of visitors per year from all over the world. We will enjoy an unforgettable excursion, collecting unexpected impressions of the outstanding castle architecture,
strolling about the historically significant landscape park and enjoying the breathtaking panoramic views of the Rhine and the Siebengebirge.

DEUTSCHES MUSEUM

Founded in 1995, the Deutsches Museum exhibits some 100 pioneering discoveries and technical masterpieces from many scientific disciplines of the last seven decades.

A special part of the display is its famous Virtual Reality Lab which allows visitors to take virtual reality tours of selected exhibits.
Using special VR glasses and controllers, you can beam yourself from far away or interact directly with items in the collections. Go where the steam circulates in the Sulzer steam engine, dispatch Otto Lilienthal on a test flight with his famous glider, or take a seat in the simulator to drive the Lunar Roving Vehicle across the lunar surface.

COPPENEUR-WORKSHOP
Chocolate Manufacture

Indulge yourself in the pleasures of high end chocolate creations!
Be part of a special workshop to create your own personalized praline, cooking a soft ganache, processing
it into a praline with marzipan,
nougat and wave decoration - need
we say more!

In the romantic Rhine town of Bad Honnef, at the foot of the fabled Siebengebirge, lies the exclusive manufactory of Confiserie Coppeneur et Compagnon. In this region, replete with vineyards and historical monuments, the most refined creations of chocolate and cocoa have been created for
some years.

Welcome to the seductive world of exquisite chocolates specialties for discerning gourmets.

HAUS DER GESCHICHTE
Museum of Contemporary German History

As the former West German capital, Bonn remains the epicenter of German history and this Museum is renowned as one of the country’s most famous historic sites.
The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland portrays the history of both German states from the end of the Second World War to the present day through an impressive permanent exhibition. Approximately 7,000 original exhibits can be viewed ranging from the Federal Chancellors' saloon railway carriage and an original 1950's cinema to parts of the Berlin Wall. Historic film and sound documents as well as a large number of media stations encourage active discussion about the country's history.

KLAIS ORGAN FACTORY

The Johannes Klais Orgelbau in Bonn is one of the world's leading organ building establishments. This family workshop has left its mark on organ design and construction for more than 100 years. They have built organs for churches and cathedrals throughout the world.
In this guided tour we will visit the factory and learn everything there is to know about the process of making world class organs!

ROLANDSECK STATION - HANS ARP MUSEUM

Picture
The Rolandseck Station is a unique cultural institution. Constructed in the 1850’s as the then terminus of the Bonn - Cologne railway, it was conceived as much more that a rail depot. Strategically placed in the Rolandseck area, which was seen as the epitome of Rhineland romanticism, its grand rooms and spaces began as a meeting place for society.  Queen Victoria, Otto von Bismarck, Friedrich Nietzsche, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt and Bernhard Shaw attended its many celebrations and concerts. After the 1960’s it served as a hideaway for musicians and writers to be able to work undistracted. Amongst the many guests were Yehudi Menuhin, Martha Argerich, Marcel Marceau, and Sviatoslav Richter.

In the early 2000’s the station was once again reimagined in its current state, as a Museum of Contemporary Art, with additional buildings designed by the Pritzker- prize winning architect Richard Meier,  including a permanent exhibition of the artist Hans Arp.
A number of full day excursions are also being developed to be scheduled before and after the conferences.
These will include a full day castle tour and a day trip to Cologne.