Bonn

Bonn was the postwar seat of the federal government and parliament until the capital returned to Berlin in 1999. Aptly described by the title of John le Carré's spy novel A Small Town in Germany, the quiet university town was chosen as a stopgap measure to prevent such weightier contenders as Frankfurt from becoming the capital, a move that would have lessened Berlin's chances of regaining its former status. With the exodus of the government from Bonn, the city has lost some of its international flair. Still, other organizations and industries have moved to Bonn to fill the gap, and its status as a U.N. city has been strengthened. The fine museums and other cultural institutions that once served the diplomatic elite are still here to be enjoyed.