It dates back to 1845, when the composer's 75th anniversary of birth was celebrated with unveiling his monument and performing major works.

First held irregularly, it is now an annual event, presenting around 70 concerts of international orchestras, ensembles and soloists in more than 20 venues in the town and the region.

The Beethoven monument was unveiled on 12 August 1845 as part of the festivities, which were attended by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV, the British Queen Victoria, Alexander von Humboldt, and Hector Berlioz.

After the Bohemian-Moravian focus in the previous year, the organizers emphasise this time on the relation between Beethoven and French music.

In 64 events and an extensive schedule, the festival offered an insight of major importance, which had revolutionary ideas and changes on Beethoven and his music, but emphasised the creativity of the French composers such as Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

In addition, some discoveries were announced, such as a selection of Beethoven's Scottish, Irish and Welsh songs, which were rarely performed.

- this was the theme of the festival including 60 concerts based on Beethoven's political legacy, the ideological appropriation and exclusion of classical music composers and their works in the 20th century.

Top-class musicians such as Hélène Grimaud, Annette Dasch, Claudia Barainsky, Daniel Hope, Martin Grubinger and András Schiff, Max Raabe and The Princes performed, and from the acting industry Esther Schweins, Hannelore Elsner, Christoph Waltz, Ulrich Matthes and Hanns Zischler.

This was the starting point for the artistic ideal of the Romantic period: the cult of the stars and genius that characterizes our music world today."

The 2009 programm of the festival included artists such as Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kent Nagano, Ingo Metzmacher, Sol Gabetta, Valery Gergiev, Gustavo Dudamel and Maurizio Pollini.

José Antonio Abreu, founder of the Venezuelan "El Sistema", the national system of youth and children's orchestras of Venezuela, had the patronage.

As part of the Bavarian State Orchestra's concert from 12 September, the conductor Kent Nagano received the Wilhelm Furtwängler Prize of the Beethovenfest Bonn.

The main program included an open-air concert, in which Otto Sauter and his trumpet ensemble Ten of the Best & Friends translated well-known melodies from operas into American and Caribbean styles during the Richard Wagner anniversary year, as well as an English promenade concert with soprano Miah Persson and the for the first time NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by its founder Thomas Hengelbrock.