Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [486]
Tourist office Altstadt ( 1720 2840; cnr Marktstrasse & Rheinstrasse; 10am-6pm)
Tourist office Hauptbahnhof ( 1720 2844; Immermannstrasse 65b; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat)
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Sights
ALTSTADT
Düsseldorf’s Altstadt, a mostly pedestrianised web of lanes cuddling up to the Rhine, is rightly (in)famous for its raucous nightlife. Fortunately, it also brims with charming and quiet corners, a smattering of museums and historical sights, plus good shopping to boot.
At its centre is the historic Marktplatz, framed by the Renaissance Rathaus (town hall; 1573) and accented by an equestrian statue of Jan Wellem. The art-loving elector lies buried nearby in the early baroque Andreaskirche (Andreasstrasse 27; 7.30am-6pm), which is drenched in fanciful white stucco. Six baroque saint-sculptures from the original altar were recently integrated into the sanctuary. More church art awaits in the new treasury in the upstairs gallery. A great time to visit is for the free organ concert at 4.30pm on Sundays.
A few steps west is the memorial Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Memorial Exhibit to the Victims of the Nazi Regime; 899 6205; Mühlenstrasse 29; admission free; 11am-5pm Tue-Fri & Sun, 1-5pm Sat), with an important but academic exhibit on local persecution and resistance during the Third Reich. Leaflets in English may be borrowed at no charge.
North of here looms the twisted tower of the 14th-century St Lambertuskirche (Church of St Lambert; Stiftsplatz) whose treasures span several centuries. Look for the Gothic tabernacle, the Renaissance marble tombs, baroque altars and modern windows.
Just beyond, on Burgplatz, the Schlossturm (Palace Tower) is all that’s left of the electors’ palace, which burned down in 1872. Now it makes an atmospheric backdrop for the Schifffahrt Museum (Navigation Museum; 899 4195; adult/child/concession €3/free/1.50; 2-6pm Wed & Sat, 11am-6pm Sun) where nifty multimedia exhibits chronicle Rhine shipping from the Middle Ages until today. The 4th-floor cafe offers panoramic views.
Burgplatz marks the beginning of the Rheinuferpromenade (river walk), whose cafes and benches fill with people in fine weather, creating an almost Mediterranean flair. It follows the Rhine all the way to the Rheinpark and the 240m Rheinturm (Rhine Tower; Stromstrasse 20; lift adult/child €3.50/1.90) with a viewing platform and revolving restaurant at 172m. Just beyond are the Landtag (state parliament) and the sleek Medienhafen (Media Harbour; see right) with its dramatic blend of historic and postmodern architecture.
A short detour off the Rheinuferpromenade takes you to the Hetjens Museum ( 899 4210; Schulstrasse 4; adult/concession/family €3/1.50/6; 11am-5pm Tue & Thu-Sun, 11am-9pm Wed), known for its survey of 8000 years of ceramic art from around the world. An extension houses the Filmmuseum ( 899 2232; adult/concession €3/1.50; 11am-5pm Tue & Thu-Sun, 11am-9pm Wed), which trains the spotlight on the technology, history and mystery of movie-making. The integrated Black Box art-house cinema presents retrospectives, rare flicks and silent movies with live organ accompaniment (tickets €6.50/4.50).
For a literary kick, swing by the Heinrich Heine Institut ( 899 2902; Bilker Strasse 12-14; adult/concession €3/1.50; 11am-5pm Tue-Fri & Sun, 1-5pm Sat), where letters, portraits, first editions and manuscripts document this famed Düssel-dorfer’s career. Heine’s birth house at Bolker-strasse 53 now contains a literary bookshop and reading room.
ART MUSEUMS
Düsseldorf has long had a love affair with art and has several high-calibre museums to prove it.
A collection that spans the arc of 20th-century artistic vision gives the K20 Kunst-sammlung am Grabbeplatz ( 838 1130; www.kunstsammlung.de; Grabbeplatz 5) an enviable edge in the art world. Paul Klee is well represented but walls are also graced by plenty of other western European and American big-shots, including Picasso, Matisse, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Düsseldorf’s own Joseph Beuys. Displays should be