There are many risk factors that shorten life, from which olives can be excluded. The classics remain: alcohol, smoking, too little exercise or stress. Laszlo Eisele-Sanchez is suffering from the latter. However, the 27-year-old trainee from Lengsdorf still has a few explanations ready as he passes by. “Bonn is a cycling city. The people of Bonn eat well and move a lot,” he believes.

Nina Hildebrand is indirectly affected. Her daughter Luise was born in 2013. “The quality of life, the Rhine and the numerous cultural events come to mind spontaneously,” she says. She tells of her birthing experiences and classifies the care from midwives in the hospital as “first class.” The great international nature of the city is also conducive to a long life.

There are also people who are surprised by the high life expectancy. “Really? I find that hard to believe. I love Bonn, but there is so much dirt here,” says Marianne Streck. The 74-year-old from Dottendorf lived in Africa for eight years, but has been back in the Rhineland for many years.

Carla König has already lived in Bonn, Scotland, Australia and Münster. “The Rhineland culture is really something special,” says the 24-year-old. The Siebengebirge are great for hiking. And the shopping in town. Everything is there.

Helga Eul and Maria Kläser agree. They are on a shopping trip in the city centre. Kläser has another explanation, not really seriously meant: “Bonners also sometimes indulge in a bottle of wine in the evenings. That also contributes to a long life, certainly,” she says.

The study looks to the future and predicts a high life expectancy, but this does not mean there are not already many elderly people in Bonn. According to information from the Bonn bureau of statistics, there are currently 65 people in the “100 Club” – people who are more than 100 years old. The oldest woman in Bonn is currently 110 years old, 26 years over the future average. The current average age in the city is 41.8 years.

Original text: Max Müller. Translation: kc