Sights in Düsseldorf
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Rheinuferpromenade
Burgplatz marks the beginning of the Rheinuferpromenade, whose cafés 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) with a viewing platform and revolving restaurant at 172m. Just beyond are the Landtag (the state parliament) and the old harbour, which has been redeveloped into the Medienhafen (Media Harbour), a spectacular showcase of contemporary architecture.
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Pleasure Palace and Gardens
Elector Carl Theodor was a man of deep pockets and good taste, as reflected in his exquisite pleasure palace and gardens, where he came to relax and frolic. Designed by Frenchman Nicolas de Pigage, the three-winged palace centres on the Corps de Logis, the former residential tract, where tours (in German) offer a glimpse of the elector's lifestyle. The other wings contain an old-school natural history museum (adult/concession €5/3) and a vaguely interesting museum of European garden history (adult/concession €5/3).
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Hetjens Museum
A short detour off the Rheinuferpromenade takes you to the Hetjens Museum, known for its survey of 8000 years of ceramic art from around the world. An extension houses the Filmmuseum, 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).
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K20 Kunst- Sammlung Am Grabbeplatz
A collection that spans the arc of 20th- century artistic vision gives the K20 Kunst- sammlung am Grabbeplatz 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. The museum has recently had a major revamp.
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Rheinturm
Burgplatz marks the beginning of the Rheinuferpromenade (river walk). It follows the Rhine all the way to the Rheinpark and the 240m Rheinturm with a viewing platform and revolving restaurant at 172m. Just beyond are the Landtag (state parliament) and the sleek Medienhafen (Media Harbour; see p000) with its dramatic blend of historic and postmodern architecture.
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Marktplatz
Düsseldorf's quaint Altstadt, a mostly pedestrianised web of lanes hugging 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, and good shopping. At its centre is the historic Marktplatz, framed by the Renaissance Rathaus (town hall; 1573) and accented by an equestrian statue of Jan Wellem.
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Andreaskirche
The art-loving elector, Jan Wellem lies buried in the early baroque Andreaskirche, 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.
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Schloss Jägerhof
Painted piglet-pink, but otherwise very dignified, the Schloss Jägerhof is a rococo confection dreamed up by leading 18th-century architect Johann Joseph Couven. Inside is the eclectic Goethe Museum, whose exhibits capture the spirit of this complex genius and his time. Putting the 'trip' in triptych is Paul Struck's epic oil painting (1974) depicting the Walpurgisnacht scene from Faust II.
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Königsallee
The main raison d'être of Düsseldorf's most famous thoroughfare, the Königsallee, called Kö for short, is to help you spend your hard-earned cash in its exclusive boutiques and department stores. Otherwise there's little of actual merit here, although the Art Nouveau façade of the Kaufhof department store and the landmark Triton fountain deserve a glance.
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K21 Kunstsammlung Im Ständehaus
Speaking of juxtaposition: a stately 19th-century parliament building forms the incongruous setting of the cutting-edge K21 Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus, which brims with canvases, photographs, installations and video art created after 1980 by an international cast of artists. Look for works by Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Bill Viola and the late Nam June Paik.
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Museum Kunst Palast
The once stuffy museum kunst palast now takes an unconventional approach to presenting its well-respected collection. Old masters find themselves juxtaposed with contemporary young dogs and non-Western works to reveal unexpected connections between the ages and artistic trends. Temporary exhibitions further reinforce the theme.
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Medienhafen
This once-dead old harbour area has been reborn as the Medienhafen, an increasingly hip quarter filled with architecture, restaurants, bars, hotels and clubs. Once-crumbling warehouses have turned high-tech office buildings and now rub shoulders with bold new structures designed by celebrated international architects, including Frank Gehry.
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Heinrich Heine Institut
For a literary kick, swing by the Heinrich Heine Institut, 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.
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Hofgarten
When you've had your shopping fill, head on over to the pleasant Hofgarten dotted with statues of Heinrich Heine, Robert Schumann and other German greats. Thespians might get a kick out of the Theatermuseum, which looks back on Düsseldorf's centuries-old theatre tradition.
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Goethe Museum
The eclectic Goethe Museum is inside a piglet-pink yet dignified rococo palace. There's the usual assortment of letters, manuscripts, paintings and memorabilia that illustrate the spirit of this complex genius and his time.
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Mahn- Und Gedenkstätte Für Die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus
The memorial Mahn- und Gedenkstätte für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus, has an important but academic exhibit on local persecution and resistance during the Third Reich. Leaflets in English may be borrowed at no charge.
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KIT - Kunst Im Tunnel
Young artists also get the nod in the city's newest space, the KIT - Kunst im Tunnel in a spectacularly adapted tunnel below the river promenade. The entrance is via a glass pavilion that doubles as a restaurant.
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St Lambertuskirche
The twisted tower of the 14th-century St Lambertuskirche has treasures spanning several centuries. Look for the Gothic tabernacle, the Renaissance marble tombs, baroque altars and modern windows.
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NRW-Forum Düsseldorf
For the most Zeitgeist-capturing exhibits, swing by the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf. It targets the lifestyle-savvy crowd with changing exhibits on fashion, media, design and architecture.
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Schifffahrt Museum
The Schifffahrt Museum has nifty multimedia exhibits chronicling Rhine shipping from the Middle Ages until today. The 4th-floor cafe offers panoramic views.
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Schlossturm
Just beyond St Lambertuskirche, on Burgplatz, the Schlossturm is all that's left of the electors' palace, which burned down in 1872. It now houses the Schifffahrt Museum.
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Theatermuseum
The Theatermuseum looks back on Düsseldorf's centuries-old theatre tradition and has a collection of marionettes and paper toy theatres. Enter from the park side.
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Kunsthalle
A hideous '60s cube houses the Kunsthalle, which hosts headline-grabbing contemporary art shows.
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Heinrich Heine's Birth House
Heinrich Heine's Birth House at Bolkerstrasse 53 now contains a literary bookshop, café and reading room.
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Rathaus
The 1573 Rathaus is built in Renaissance style and neatly frames the historic Marktplatz.
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