For more than 140 years, Puppenkönig in Bonn city center has been a popular place for children and grown-ups alike. Lots of toys are hidden behind the old stone walls in Gangolfstraße 8 - 10. The toy store in Cologne was founded in 1873. At that time it was Cologne's largest children's toy store. In 1913 the branch opened in Bonn, first in the street "Am Hof" then at Münsterplatz. There, Puppenkönig expanded its assortment considerably and had everything children could wish for some 100 years ago. The first Christmas model railway, which is still a much-loved tradition today, was also on display in the branch at Münsterplatz. In 1934 the shop moved to Gangolfstraße. It is expected to close for good in November 2019.

Address: Gangolfstraße 8 - 10, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Internet:www.puppenkoenig.de

Students from Bonn know the bookshop Witsch + Behrendt right next to the main university building and in the canteen on Nassestraße. Those who need study and reference books can browse the shelves of the specialist bookshop. Gustav Hermann Behrendt founded the Behrendt bookshop in Bonn in 1872. The company remained in the family until the death of its owner Manfred Herbert in 2001. There was no new owner in the family. Therefore the business had to collaborate with the bookshop Witsch in Cologne and became "Witsch + Behrendt". Gundula Strauss, branch manager of the shop next to the university, describes the atmosphere at the beginning of the semester: "At the moment many students are coming and going. Like at a fashion show. That's very nice."

Address: Am Hof 5a, 53113 Bonn and Nassestraße 11, 53113 Bonn

Opening hours: next to the Uni - Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Nassestraße - Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Internet:www.schweitzer-online.de

The family stationary shop "Struck" in the heart of Beuel has been run by the family since 1967 and is now in its third generation. Not only pencils and notebooks are available here, but also toys and children's books have been available here for several years.

Address: Friedrich-Breuer-Straße 46-50, 53225 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Internet:www.schreiben-lesen-spielen.de

For 150 years, van Dorp in Bonn has been committed to the quality of its products and professional advice - and this applies to everything to do with cooking and baking, table and dining decor. Today they offer a range of glass, porcelain and cutlery, household goods and lighting and lamps for every living area.

Address: Münsterplatz 25, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Internet:www.vandorp.de

Knauber is a Bonn family business and was founded in 1880 by Anna and Michael Knauber as a grocery store. They sold household goods, animal feed and fuel. With that, they established the tradition of an entrepreneurial family which today has six branches at different locations. The first so-called hobby market opened in Bonn in 1968. In the 70s to 90s, the Knauber owners continued to expand this concept and turned the company into today's popular "leisure market". Everything for do-it-yourself enthusiasts is available.

Addresses: see website

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Internet:www.knauber-freizeit.de

There are now numerous organic shops in German cities. But the organic shop Momo has existed in Beuel since 1983. Over time, the shop has expanded its range and today also offers an online shop, delivery service or food service-subscriptions. Momo is not only about nutrition, but also about everything related, such as cultivation, packaging and working conditions for people. Organic is a matter of the heart here.

Address: Hans-Böckler-Strasse 1, 53225 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Internet:www.momonaturkost.de

Café Müller-Langhardt has been opening its doors at the Bonn Markt location for more than 100 years. Old café tradition has remained alive here. Hermann Müller and his wife Therese founded Café Müller on 25 September 1913. After his death (1924) she married the confectioner Langhardt. The business was rebuilt in 1934 and continued in the old tradition - today it is run by the third generation - the brothers Hermann and Ulrich Müller-Langhardt.

Address: Market 36, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday from 12 am to 6 pm

Internet:www.mueller-langhardt.de

The seed specialty store for gardeners was founded in 1898. Karl Schmitz took it over in 1926 and renamed the plant business. Nostalgic lettering still evokes his name today. The Schmitz seed shop remained in the family and is now lovingly managed by Sylvia Schmitz. The shop used to supply farmers and other seed traders on a large scale. The assortment has changed over the decades. Today there are seasonal and decorative plants that decorate the Remigiusplatz from the outside.

Address: Remigiusplatz 3, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The optician's shop Optik Dancker has been located on Sternstraße since 1883. A barrage of bombs hit the store hard in 1944. The Dancker family then rebuilt it with their combined efforts. And only a few years later, optician Dancker was one of the first specialist shops in Bonn to include contact lenses in its range. When Bonn was the federal capital, the Dancker family had prominent customers: among them Konrad Adenauer. The optician is already in the fourth generation, still on Sternstraße.

Address: Sternstrasse 24-26, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Internet:www.dancker.de

For more than 80 years the family business Kröber Hören und Sehen (Kröber Hearing and Vision). has been located in the same place. In 1936 Wilhelm Kröber and his wife Paula opened their shop for "modern glasses" with the slogan: "The eye is the entrance to the soul...and the glasses bring out your beauty". Many employees almost qualify as part of the inventory. Long years of service of ten, 20 and even more than 30 years are not uncommon.

Address: Sternstrasse 73, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm

Internet: Page on Facebook

Tailoring supplies, sewing machines, fabrics, haberdashery and carnival products can be found in the Peter Kastenholz shop. Peter Kastenholz founded his business in 1948 when he was still selling from his parents' apartment on Thomasstraße - exclusively to tailors. With the move to the new business premises in 1949, the clientele also changed. Today the shop is a paradise for hobby hobbyists and sewers. In 1992 the nephew of the founder Mario Rohloff took over the shop and still runs it today.

Address: Bertha von Suttner Platz 2-4, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Internet:www.peterkastenholz.de

Vollmar & Söhne have a wide and above all high-quality range of products on offer. It stretches from Meissen porcelain to fine jewelry. It has been listed in the official commerce register (IHK) since 1861. Great-grandfather Wilhelm Vollmars Portrait thus has a place of honor in this long-established company. When Bonn became the federal capital, the shop supplied the federal government with gifts, as well as cutlery and porcelain for the Petersberg and the various embassies.

Address: Kaiserplatz 2, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Internet:www.vollmar-soehne.com

Metzgerei Schmitz: This butcher shop was founded in 1891 by Matthias Schmitz and is now run by the fifth generation in the Schmitz family.

Address: Endenicher Straße 327, 53121 Bonn

Internet:Metzgerei Schmitz

The wood specialty store was founded in September of 1932, and has been a supply store for carpenters ever since. It remains in family hands.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Address: Bunsenstraße 7, 53121 Bonn

Internet:www.holzhandel-bonn.de

Readers mentioned other business as well, including Fa. Belinsky which offers electronics and has been around for more than 60 years, Dirk Weber Fine Arts which has been providing international customers with materials since 1979. buchLaden46 on Kaiserstraße has also been around since 1979, FME HIFI Bonn has been in business for 30 years and DASDUO with unusual furniture also has has been around awhile. Bücher Bosch, and the Gutenberg office supply store in Bad Godesberg were also recommended by readers.

This is a list of long-established shops in Bonn and the region which does not claim to be exhaustive or follow objective criteria. It is also not a ranking order. The order is arbitrary. Is a traditional shop missing in the list? Please send us an e-mail to online@ga.de.

(Orig. text: Sofia Grillo, Translation: ck)