Ben­rath Palace and Castle Park Düs­sel­dorf

The ‘Kö’ (König­sallee) is not the only place to find pomp in Düs­sel­dorf: Schloss Ben­rath is con­sidered to be the most im­port­ant ar­chi­tec­tur­al syn­thes­is of the arts in the state cap­it­al. Every room in the palace faces out onto the gar­dens. The im­pos­ing palace park serves as a ven­ue for en­ter­tain­ment events.

With its summer residence, hunting park, ponds and canals, Benrath Palace is the most important architectural work of art in Düsseldorf. This palace to the south of Düsseldorf looks just the same today as it would have in 1775, when it was planned and built by master builder Nicolas de Pigage for Elector Palatine Charles Theodore.

As the palace and its generously-proportioned gardens and avenues were being planned, every room inside was matched with a garden area in the grounds. The English garden with its rare trees thus corresponds to the Elector’s private room; the French garden with fountains and flower beds mirrors the rooms of the Electress. A kitchen garden with fruit on trellises, vegetables, herbs and flowers once supplied the palace kitchens with the relevant ingredients and can still be admired today.

A vast forest park stretches almost as far as the banks of the nearby Rhine. The network of avenues is rigidly geometrical in design, with all paths meeting in a star formation around a large lawn. Today, Benrath Palace is home to the Museum of European Garden Art. The castle park is also a venue for many concerts and other events, especially during the summer months.