CASTLE AND PARK OF BENRATH

More than 200 years ago, Benrath Palace was built as a summer residence and hunting lodge for Prince-elect Carl Theodor, near the Rhine, in the south of Düsseldorf. The French architect Nicolas de Pigage has created one of the most beautiful palaces in the eighteenth century. Today, the ensemble with its artistic unit of buildings, interior design and gardens of 60 hectares is considered one of the few examples of late rococo in Europe. With its furniture, porcelain and paintings, the main palace gives a beautiful view of court life in the second half of the eighteenth century. The European Garden Art Museum is located in the east wing and the museum of natural history in the west wing. The palace park was designed according to fashion and is divided into three gardens: the official garden, private gardens and the grove. The Tiergarten of the ancient seventeenth century palace was transformed into a subdivided hunting ground. In addition to the French garden and the orangery, the botanical English garden, now simply called the flower garden, exudes a very romantic atmosphere. The palace park is an oasis for trees, shrubs and wild flowers and houses many indigenous animals. The oldest trees are the old wounds of plated lineups that, because of the inability to be cut, pushed together to train the 250-year-old alleys. In the wooded part of the park, visitors will find many flowers growing under the crown of trees and shrubs, as well as mosses, ferns and herbs. Most wildflowers bloom white and yellow in the spring. The ponds and lakes of the Benrath Palace Park were originally powered by the Itter. As Itter became increasingly polluted, it was decided to channel it directly to the Rhine. Since then, the complex system of ponds and canals has been fuelled by a well. The visit of this wonderful pleasure castle, built in the eighteenth century, and its magnificent park, is a stopover! Coming from Düsseldorf city center, Benrath is easily accessible by U 71 and U 83. A small detour at the European Museum of Landscape Art is strongly recommended for botanical and garden lovers. A museum of natural history is also open to the public.