AllWays Traveller Features
Art and culture thriving on the Rhine
The German city of Düsseldorf is capital city of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
It sits mainly on the right hand (eastern) bank of the River Rhine and is known for its Altbier copper coloured beer brewed in the old town and its vibrant youthful culture.
While large swathes of the city were destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, a rewarding number of historically impressive buildings have survived.
These provide a genuine contrast to the ultra-modern, highly stylistic architecture that has grown up around them.
Düsseldorf is a real cultural city from an artistic perspective.
There are a host of art galleries and museums within close proximity and street art flourishes throughout the city.
Art and architecture blend seamlessly in Düsseldorf
This German city expresses itself with imagination and aesthetic invention.
A short city break in Düsseldorf will surprise and reward in equal measure.
Ann and I were in the city for one morning, waiting to board the VIVA ONE for a cruise on the Rhine and Moselle rivers : (https://www.allwaystraveller.com/continents/europe/cruising-the-rhine-and-moselle-on-viva-one).
We also decided to spend an extra day and a half when disembarking a week later.
This gave us enough time to get to know the city and it proved to be a great decision.
Düsseldorf in 120 minutes
Given our time constraint we took the Düsseldorf in 120 minutes tour, described as the city walk for more active newbies.
Our guide was Peter Jaeger, a long time Dusseldorf resident and someone with a passionate interest in the city and its history.
Meeting us in the heart of the city, Peter started his tour with a stroll along the Königsallee, Düsseldorf's main boulevard.
We then took in the MedienHafen (Media Harbour) and Altstadt (old town) before walking the grand Rhine Embankment Promenade to the VIVA ONE.
The MedienHafen
The MedienHafen, the Media Harbour, is a district on the banks of the Rhine that was, at one time, the city's thriving harbour area.
By the end of the 20th Century, trade had dropped off and the place had become less desirable.
The harbour's regeneration, and indeed renaissance, began in earnest in the 1990s, and today is an area of stunning postmodern architecture.
Very much like Canary Wharf in London, it is now as much a hub for leisure and entertainment as it is a focus for the many international companies who occupy its towering office buildings.
The Altstadt
We also took a walk through the narrow streets of the Altstadt, old town.
While this was pleasantly quiet during the morning, the old town comes to life in the evening, and particularly at weekends and during the summer months.
This is city's night-time district, with a string of restaurants, cocktail bars and dance clubs.
And for beer lovers, four breweries produce Altbier in the old town, with this copper-coloured bier only found in and around Düsseldorf.
Also, any number of pubs offering, particularly Düsseldorf.
The hop-on-hop-off
Back in Düsseldorf after our river cruise we took an open top bus tour of the city.
The hop-on-hop-off bus tours give an overview of a destination, taking in all one is likely to want to get back to.
The 90-minute Düsseldorf open top bus tour took us through the Old Town and Little Tokyo neighbourhood and past the Königsallee and Rhine Tower.
There are seven hop-off-hop- on stops along the way, and with the bus pass good for 24 hours there is plenty of time to do just that.
A range of guided, and self-guided, walking tours of Düsseldorf are available as well as those by bike, bus or on a boat.
https://www.visitduesseldorf.de/en/book/city-tours-in-duesseldorf
Düsseldorf's thriving art scene
When it comes to art and culture, Düsseldorf has six museums and galleries within easy walking distance of each other and the Rhine, Old Town and Hofgarten.
The Museum Kunstpalast
Having just the one day at our disposal, we went to the Museum Kunstpalast art museum located in the Ehrenhof complex.
The 'expressionist style' Ehrenhof was built for the 1926 GeSoLei exhibition, which was then one of Germany's largest trade fairs.
Over sever floors and 49 rooms, the Kunstpalast's truly eclectic collection has some 800 objects and works of art on display.
These embrace eleven centuries of work by history's most influential artists alongside those from contemporary and emerging artists in a tour through 49 rooms.
A rolling programme of temporary exhibitions enhance the permanent collection.
https://www.kunstpalast.de/en/
The Hofgarten
The Museum Kunstpalast is found next to the Hofgarten, an historic park located in the heart of the city. Established in 1769, and covering some 28 hectares, it is Germany's first and oldest public garden.
The gardens feature meadows, ancient trees, ponds, fountains and flowerbeds along with monuments and modern sculptures, including works by artists like Henry Moore.
The Düsseldorf Art:walk48
For those with longer in the city, the Düsseldorf Art:walk48 offers greatly discounted entry to six art museums.
In addition to the Museum Kunstpalast, one can take in Kunstsammlung NRW K20 / K21; the Kunsthalle; the NRW Forum and the KIT Kunst im Tunnel.
It cost 25 euros, for admittance during a 48-hour period, with children under 18 admitted free.
https://www.visitduesseldorf.de/en/book/art-walk48-ticket
Street art
Düsseldorf is also embracing the street art scene and, strolling around, one comes across any number of works offering the most invigorating examples of the form of public art.
A place to stay : MUZE Düsseldorf
The Muze provides all that is needed for a relaxing, enjoyable and artistic inspired short break in Düsseldorf.
By Ann Mealor
Trendy, techy arty with a splash of luxury it is just a short and pleasant walk away from the vibrant city centre.
The reception has a cosy, plush, oriental feel with its marble floor, patterned rug, bamboo and green velvet sofa.
An integrated art gallery starts here and weaves its way into the bar and other common areas for guests and locals to enjoy.
The Voyage Within, which is the permanent exhibition, showcases a number of bold and visually striking portraits which make interesting viewing.
Our room was very comfortable and well furnished with a large bed, leather easy chairs and an LED TV onto which you could Chromecast whatever you watched on your phone.
There was Nespresso coffee machine, a small fridge and a couple of green apples.
In the bathroom were luxurious Rituals toiletries and best of all a toilet with a built-in bidet!
I didn't know such a thing existed.
There was a control panel on the wall next to the loo and you could choose from a 'front' or 'back' warm water jet flush – and even have it oscillating! It was an experience.
Breakfast is served in the bar and has a good selection of cold meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, cereals, yoghurts, pastries, cakes, bread rolls, pancakes, hard boiled and scrambled eggs.
Snacks and drinks can be enjoyed here in the evening, and if the weather is good, they can be taken outside on to the patio.
The staff were helpful and friendly, putting our cases in storage and lending us umbrellas for our last day of sightseeing.
A nice, welcoming touch was the lemon infused mineral water in the foyer along with jars of help yourself banana chips, walnuts and dates.
Useful links
About the author
Contact info
ISSN 2634-7032
London, United Kingdom
+44 0 7764 198 286