Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf (Düsseldörp in Low Franconian and Kölsch, Dusseldorp formerly in Dutch) is a 619,294 inhabitants city in the confluence of the Rhine and its tributary Düssel located in the westhern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, capital city and 2nd most populated city in the federal state (7th most populous city in Germany). It is an international business and financial center, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs, with a plurality of higher education institutions. Düsseldorf is considered one of the most livable city in the world and its airport, the 3rd-busiest in Germany.

How do I arrive to Düsseldorf?

  Düsseldorf has many different ways to arrive for being the capital city of the federal state and one of the largest cities in Germany. 

• Plane: there are many international flights to Düsseldorf Airport, one of the largest low-cost hubs in Europe. To go from the airport to the city (Hauptbahnhof) there are trains and taxis and from the airport station (Flughaven Bahnhof) to the terminals there's SkyTrain (free). It's 7 km north from the center of the city.
• Train: there are trains that link Düsseldorf, among others, with Neuss (aprox. 15 minutes), Duisburg (aprox. 20 minutes), Cologne and Essen (aprox. 30 minutes), Mönchengladbach and Bochum (aprox. 40 minutes), Bonn and Dortmund (aprox. 50 minutes) and Aachen (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) in North Rhine-Westphalia. There are several trains to destinations to major German cities like Frankfurt am Main (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes), Koblenz (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes), Hannover (aprox. 2 hours 40 minutes), Bremen (aprox. 2 hours 40 minutes), Hamburg (aprox. 3 hours 20 minutes) or Berlin (aprox. 4 hours 15 minutes).
• Bus: the main bus station in Düsseldorf is located in Worringer Straße, connecting the city with many destinations within Germany and the neighbouring countries.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Düsseldorf it can be reached Duisburg (aprox. 30 minutes), Essen and Mönchengladbach (aprox. 35 minutes), Cologne and Wuppertal (aprox. 40 minutes), Xanten (aprox. 55 minutes), Bonn and Dortmund (aprox. 1 hour), Aachen (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes), Altena (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes) or Münster (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes). Düsseldorf can also be reached from cities in the neighbouring countries: Venlo (aprox. 55 minutes), Roermond (aprox. 1 hour), Maastricht (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes) and Eindhoven (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes) in the Netherlands; and Liège (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) in Belgium.

Once in Düsseldorf it's highly recommended to use public transportation (buses, trams or underground) or simply riding a bike or walk.

History

Düsseldorf's first settlement could have been founded around 7th-8th centuries, being first mentioned in 1135; the town of Kaiserswerth (district of Düsseldorf since 1929) became well-fortified under Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In 1186 Düsseldorf came under the rule of the Counts of Berg, receiving town privileges in 1288 and being the capital of the Duchy of Berg in 1380. The ducal line of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg died out, it fell to Wittelsbach Counts, becoming now Prince-electors (maintaining the residence in Düsseldorf). Napoleon made Berg a Grand Duchy and Düsseldorf its capital. After Napoleonic Wars Berg was given to the Kingdom of Prussia, enjoying a revival with the Industrial Revolution by mid-19th century. Düsseldorf receiving the first Entente strategic bombing in 1914. In 1920 it was the center of the general strike and 45 people were murdered by the Freikorps. The city was a target of strategic bombing during WW2, being captured by the US army in 1945. In 1946 Düsseldorf was made capital of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, helping Düsseldorf's economic growth. Düsseldorf has one of the largest Japanese communities in Germany (around 11,000 people).
 

What can I visit in Düsseldorf?

 The city is quite large and has many districts with interesting sightseeing points as well as an important link to art. The most important ones are Altstadt, Medienhafen (district with the pier transformed into an ambitious and modern one) and Flingern (former working-class district that has become a quite modern and popular one, with boutiques vintage, artisan shops or restaurants gourmet). Main places to enjoy outdoors life are Marktplatz (square it's located the town hall and a bronze equestrian statue of Jan Wellem, 17th century elector-prince), Rheinuferpromenade (promenade by Rhine river with several cafes). There's a card, Düsseldorf Card (8€/ 14€/ 9€/ 4€  adults/ reduced/ students/ kids), that includes free transportation and discounts in museums.

These are Düsseldorf's main attractions:

K21 Ständehaus

• Kunstammlung NRW (10-18 Tue-Fri, 11-18 Sat-Sun; 21€/ 17€/ 15.50€/ 10€  96h/ 72h/ 48h/ 24h): complex of museums with a huge variety of objects displayed in different buuldings. K20 Grabbeplatz has a collection of 20th century artistic pieces with works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. It has some works of Joseph Beuys, US artists who was born in Düsseldorf. K21 Ständehaus host the collection of works of arts before 1980 including site-specific by Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Bill Viola and Nam June Paik. Their most popular works of art are Mädchen unter Japanschirm by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Drei Katzen by Franz Mark, Nu au miroir by Joan Miró, Hat Kopf, Hand, Fuss und Herz and Kamel in rhythmischer Baumlandschaft by Paul Klee.

  

  Inner part of St. Andreas Church

• Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (10-18 Tue-Sun; 6€/ 3€/ free  adults/ students/ kids under 18): art gallery focused in Contemporary art located in a Brutalist style building from 1960. It's bookshop is quite recommended.
• St. Andreas Catholic Church (7:30-18:30 Mon-Sat, 8:30-19 Sun): 17th century Baroque style church covered in white stucco. The sanctuary has 6 Baroque sculptures that used to be in the altarpiece and the treasury has more sacred art. There are free organ concerts at 16:30 on Sun. 
• Memorial Düsseldorf (11-17 Tue-Fri, 13-17 Sat, 11-17 Sun): commemorative monument that shows the persecution that suffered Düsseldorf locals under the Nazi regime. Maybe the most emotive expositions is the one about Düsseldorf children and young people under national socialism.
• Neander Lutheran Church: early Baroque style church built in 1683 with a simple façade and hidden (Lutherans weren't well-liked in traditionally Catholic Rhineland), although now it's visible because the building that used to block the view wasn't rebuilt after the war.

  

  Marktplatz and
  Düsseldorf Old Town Hall

• Düsseldorf Old Town Hall: town hall whose origins date back to the 16th century, having been used till the 20th century. It was modified several times and was used as a meeting place for the estates of the Duchies of Jülich-Berg.
• St. Lambertus Catholic Church (8-17): 14th century church with a leaning tower. Its main highlights from different artistic periods: Gothic tabernacles, Renaissance marble tombs, Baroque altarpieces and Contemporary stained glass windows.
• Hofgarten: garden in the heart of Düsseldorf full of statues of Heinrich Heine, Robert Schumann and other culture figures. Not far from here it's located the popular Triton Fountain.

  

  Triton Fountain at Hofgarten

• Düsseldorf Palace Tower: lonely tower by the promenade that is the only remaining part of Düsseldorf  Electoral Palace, burnt in 1872.
• Hetjens Museum (11-17 Tue-Sun; 4€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): museums that shows the more than 8,000 years of ceramics all over the world with beautiful pieces from Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries, Japanese and Islamic pottery or Contemporary one. 
• Düsseldorf Film Museum (11-18 Tue-Sun; 5€/ 2.50€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): small museum focused on the history of how films are produced. Inside it can be found the Black Box, an art cinema that shows retrospective, bizarre and silent films. 
  

  

  Düsseldorf Palace Tower

• St. Maximilian Catholic Church: 17th century late Baroque church built for a Franciscan convent and renamed St. Maximillian (as the then-elector) in 1804 to protect it from destruction. It's renowned for its organ music and choir.
• Heinrich Heine Institut (11-17 Tue-Fri and Sun, 13-17 Sat; 4€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): house-museum next to where Heinrich Heine was born, a German poet, writer and literary critic considered one of the most important ones in German language. It has letters, portraits and books by him.
• Düsseldorf City Museum (11-18 Tue-Sun; 4€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): museum that explains the history of the city and talks about the main characters born here.
  

  

  NRW-Forum Düsseldorf

• NRW-Forum Düsseldorf (11-18 Tue-Thu and Sun, 11-21 Fri-Sat; 6€/ 4€/ 1€  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): museum focused on temporary expositions about fashion, mass media, photography and architecture, focused on Zeitgeist (concept of 18th century German philosophy translated as the spirit of the age).
• Museum Kunstpalast (11-18 Tue-Sun, 11-21 Thu; 14€/ 11€/ 2€/ free  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18/ kids under 13): art gallery with works of different artistic periods and countries displayed in an unsual way: old European masterpieces next to young artists' works of arts and foreigners ones. Some of its highlights are paitings by Peter Paul Rubens, August Macke or Arbeiter vor dem Magistrat by Johann Peter Hasenclever.

  

  Medienhafen district buildings

• Kunst im Tunnel (11-18 Tue-Sun; 4€/ 4€  adults/ reduced): alternative art gallery focused on young artist (mainly belonging from the local art school) located in a spectacular tunnel modified with a glass pavilion by Rhine river.
• Rhine Tower (10-01 Fri-Sat, 10-00 Sun-Thu; 11€/ 9€/ 5€  flexible ticket/ daily ticket/ early bird or late night tickets): 240 m high tower with bars, cafes and a rotatory restaurant plus a viewpoint whose views can reach Cologne or Essen. It's nicely illuminated at night.
  
• In Medienhafen district it can be found many architecture icons such as Neuer Zollhof by Frank Gehry, Grand Bateau by Claude Vasconi, Colorium by William Alsop or Hafen by Helmut Jahn.

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  Benrath Palace

  Benrath Palace (11-17 Tue-Fri, 11-18 Sat-Sun from Apr to Oct; 11-17 Tue-Sun from Nov to Mar; 14€/ 10€/ 4€  adults/ reduced/ kids under 18): 18th century schloss designed by Nicolas de Pigage for the Prince-elector Charles Theodore to enjoy his free time. It has excellent gardens and visiting provides a view of the elector's lifestyle. Other parts of the palace host Düsseldorf Natural History Museum and the interesting Museum for European Garden Art.

Basilica of St. Quirinus

About 10 km west from Düsseldorf it is located Neuss (Nüss in Limburgish), a 153,796 people city that, together with Trier, are considered the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by Romans. The main sightseeing point here is visiting the Basilica of St. Quirinus (8:30-18:30; free), a 13th century church with strong Lombard influence and some signs of Gothic style, regarded as one of the best examples of Romanesque churches in Germany, name after a Roman martyr whose body was moved to Neuss in 1050. Other interesting places are Clemens Sels Museum (11-17 Tue-Sat, 11-18 Sun; 5€/ 2.50€/ free  adults/ students/ people under 21), museum with art exhibitions that go from the Middle Ages to Baroque and Dutch painting, including French, Belgian and Dutch symbolists or Rhenish Expressionists and Modern Primitives, as well as important archaeological remains; 13th century Neuss Upper Gate or St. Marien Church, a 19th century Neogothic church. On the outskirts of Neuss there are two very nice museums: Insel Hombroich Museum (10-18 from Apr to Sep; 10-17 from Oct to Mar; 15€/ 7.50€  adults/ reduced), Neoclassical industrialist's villa with a collection of both Classical and Modern art, especially sculptures, and a nice garden; the other is Langen Foundation (10-18 Fri-Sun; 8€/ 5€  adults/ retiree, students and children), art gallery focused on 20th century paintings, Japanese and other non-European art placed at the former NATO rocket base in Neuss. There's a combined ticket for both of them (20€). 

Abetiberg Museum

Going north there's Meerbusch, a 56,189 people city (the municipality with the most income millionaires in North Rhine-Westphalia) where the visitor can visit the outter part of Haus Meer, a mansion and former monastery founded in the 12th century that belongs to von der Leyen family since 19th century. Not far from Düsseldorf it can be found the industrial city of Mönchengladbach, a 261,454 inhabitants city that isn't far from the border with the Netherlands and an industrial hub because of textile industry (although nowadays it's known because of its football team). The city has some things to do like visiting Abetiberg Museum (11-17 Tue-Fri, 11-18 Sat-Sun; 8€/ 5€  adults/ reduced), a Contemporary art museum designed by Hans Hollein that owns works by Andy Warhol, Henrich Heckel, Man Ray or Max Pechstein; Rheydt Palace (11-17 Tue-Fri, 11-18 Sat-Sun; 6€/ 4€  adults/ reduced), beautiful Renaissance Schloss that was the family seat of various noble families, among them Bylandt-Rheydt dynasty, that ruled over Rheydt for over 300 years; or Wickrath Palace, a 19th century Schloss that today is home of a restaurant and cafe.

Where can I do and buy in Düsseldorf?

 

Marionetten-Theater

Düsseldorf has an important cultural scene with threaters like Marionetten-Theater (Bilker Straße 7) or Roncalli's Apollo Varieté (Apollo-Platz 1), Tonhalle (Ehrenhof 1), home of Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra or the opera German Oper Am Rhein (Heinrich-Heine-Allee 16A).
Düsseldorf has many things to offer when speaking about going shopping. Königsalle is full of brand-name shops, Benratherstraße and Hohe Straße has an interesting offer of boutiques and in Ackerstraße all you imagine can be sold.

Where can I eat in Düsseldorf?

Altbier

 Düsseldorf has a big culinary offer with different qualities, mainly in Altstadt or in least touristic streets Ratinger Straße and Hohe Straße. Some of the cheapest choices to eat the cafes Hüftgold (Ackerstraße 113), Kaffeerösterei Röstzeit (Oststraße 115) or the bakery Hinkel (Mittelstraße 25). For international cheap food you may try the Middle East food in Libanon Restaurant (Berger Straße 19-21), Japanese one in Takumi (Immermannstraße 28) or Sila-Thai (Bahnstraße 76) for Thai food. If you want to spend a bit more money you may try the Brewery im Füchschen (Ratinger Straße 28), bistro Zicke (Bäckerstraße 5A) or the Market on Carlplatz. Münstermann Kontor (Hohe Straße 11) is a good choice for in case you don't mind spending money. 
Düsseldorf's most popular beer is Altbier, a top-fermented dark beer. There are also very recommended places to have a drink out, most of them placed in Altstadt. Some of the best streets are Andreasstraße, Berger Straße, Rheinartstraße, Kurze Straße or Mertensgasse. Some of the best choices are the brewery Zum Uerige (Berger Straße 1); the bars Destille (Bilker Straße 46), Melody (Kurze Straße 12), Salon des Amateurs (Grabbeplatz 4) and Beethoven in Flingern (Ackerstraße 106), the clubs Stone Im Ratinger Hof (Ratinger Straße 10) and SUB (Bolkerstraße 14) or the jazz club Em Pöötzke (Mertensgasse 6).

Posted in: Europe,Germany,North Rhine-Westphalia