Siege of Godesberg

1583 in military history1583 in the Holy Roman EmpireBattles in North Rhine-WestphaliaBattles involving BavariaConflicts in 1583 ... and 2 more

European wars of religionSieges involving the Holy Roman Empire

The siege of Godesberg, 18 November – 17 December 1583, was the first major siege of the Cologne War (1583–1589). Seeking to wrest control of an important fortification, Bavarian and mercenary soldiers surrounded the Godesberg, and the village then of the same name, now Bad Godesberg, located at its foot. On top of the mountain sat a formidable fortress, similarly named Godesburg, built in the early 13th century during a contest over the election of two competing archbishops. Towering over the Rhine valley, the Godesburg's strategic position commanded the roads leading to and from Bonn, the Elector of Cologne's capital city, and Cologne, the region's economic powerhouse. Over time, the Electors strengthened its walls and heightened its towers. They added a small residence in the 14th century and the donjon (also called a Bergfried or keep) developed as a stronghold of the Electoral archives and valuables. By the mid-16th century, the Godesburg was considered nearly impregnable and had become a symbol of the dual power of the Prince-electors and Archbishops of Cologne, one of the wealthiest ecclesiastical territories in the Holy Roman Empire. The Cologne War, a feud between the Protestant Elector, Gebhard, Truchsess of Waldburg, and the Catholic Elector, Ernest of Bavaria, was yet another schismatic episode in the Electoral and archdiocesan history. The Godesburg came under attack from Bavarian forces in November 1583. It resisted a lengthy cannonade by the attacking army; finally, sappers tunneled into the basalt core of the mountain, placed 680 kilograms (1,500 lb) of powder into the tunnel and blew up a significant part of the fortifications. The explosion killed many of the defending troops, but the resulting rubble impeded the attackers' progress, and the remaining defenders continued to offer staunch resistance. Only when some of the attackers entered the castle's inner courtyard through the latrine system were the Bavarians able to overcome their opponents. The Godesburg's commander and some surviving defenders took refuge in the keep; using prisoners held in the dungeons as hostages, the commander negotiated safe passage for himself, his wife and his lieutenant. The others who were left in the keep—men, women and children—were killed. Nearby Bonn fell to the Bavarians the following month.

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Siege of Godesberg
Aennchenstraße, Bonn Bad Godesberg

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 50.685833333333 °	E 7.1516666666667 °

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Address

Aennchenstraße

Aennchenstraße
53177 Bonn, Bad Godesberg
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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Nearby Places

Godesburg

The Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany. Built in the early 13th century on the Godesberg, a hill of volcanic origin, it was largely destroyed following a siege in 1583 at the start of the Cologne War. In 1891, the German emperor Wilhelm II donated the castle's ruin to the city of Bad Godesberg. In 1959, the ruin was rebuilt according to plans by Gottfried Böhm, to house a hotel and restaurant. Today, the restaurant is still in operation, but the hotel tract has been divided into apartments.

Plittersdorfer Straße station

Plittersdorfer Straße is a Bonn Stadtbahn station in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, served by lines 16, 63 and 67. The tiles of the station are colored blue.

Bad Godesberg

Bad Godesberg (Kölsch: Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough (Stadtbezirk) of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings are still used as branch offices or consulates.

Schauspielhaus Bad Godesberg

The Schauspielhaus Bad Godesberg (formerly "Kammerspiele Bad Godesberg") is the largest theatre in the city of Bonn and the first new theatre building in the Federal Republic of Germany in the post-war period. The building was constructed in the Bad Godesberg city centre in the early 1950s. It now belongs to the Alt-Godesberg district of Bonn and is located at Theaterplatz 9 / Am Michaelshof 9 (originally Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, since 1956 Michaelstraße 9, today Am Michaelshof 9); it is under Denkmalschutz.

Redoute, Bad Godesberg

The Redoute in Bad Godesberg, now part of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is a hall opened in 1792 for balls of the court of Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria. When Bonn was the location of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, from 1949 to 1990, state receptions were held at the Redoute. Today, the listed historical building is used for events.

Wurzerstraße station

Wurzerstraße is one of the four underground stations on the Bad Godesberg branch served by both Cologne and Bonn Stadtbahn. This station is served by line 16, 63 and 67. Because the Bad Godesberg underground stations have 4-main color tiles, the Wurzerstraße have red tiles.

Bonn-Bad Godesberg station

Bonn-Bad Godesberg station is on the Left Rhine line (German: Linke Rheinstrecke) in the Bonn district of Bad Godesberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a four-track through station, which does not have a “home” platform attached to the station building. Instead, it has two through and overtaking tracks on two island platforms, with one platform numbered 1 and 4 and the other 2 and 3, which is unusual in Germany, but occurs several times on the Left Rhine line.

Aloisiuskolleg

The Aloisiuskolleg is a co-educational, Jesuit (Catholic), University-preparatory school in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany, which includes boarders. It is named for Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Highly ranked academically, it is considered one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Germany. Since early 2010 the school has been investigated for cases of child abuse.

Bad Godesberg Stadthalle station

Bad Godesberg Stadthalle is a station on the Bonn Stadtbahn, in Bad Godesberg, Germany. It is the terminus of the Bad Godesberg branch served by the all-day routes 16 and 63 and the peak-hour line 67. It is located beneath the Bad Godesberg Stadthalle, an events space.

Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium Bonn

The Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium (NCG) is a secondary school in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany. Its pupils range from Grade 5 to Grade 12. The main aspects of the school are a bilingual English-German branch, with lessons such as Geography, Politics and History taught in English and participation at THIMUN. In Grade 5 pupils can choose, if they want to be taught bilingual lessons. The school's headteacher is Nicole Auen.

Deutsches Museum Bonn

The Deutsches Museum Bonn is a museum with exhibits and experiments of famous scientists, engineers and inventors. Its central themes are research and technology in Germany after 1945. It is part of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. It was founded in 1995 at the instigation of the Association of Sponsors for the Promotion of German Science (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft) in the Science Centre (Wissenschaftszentrum) in Bonn.Museum director has been Andrea Niehaus since 2001.

Hochkreuz station

Hochkreuz is a Bonn Stadtbahn station served by lines 16, 63 and 67. It is located on the Bad Godesberg branch, the next four stops are underground, including the terminus. This station is located near the High Cross.