CASTLE AND PARK OF BENRATH

Over 200 years ago, Benrath Palace was built as a summer residence and hunting lodge for Prince Elector Charles-Theodore (Carl Theodor), near the Rhine in the south of Düsseldorf. The French architect Nicolas de Pigage created one of the most beautiful palaces of the ^18th century. Today, the ensemble, with its artistic unity of buildings, interior design and 60-hectare gardens, is considered one of the few examples of late Rococo in Europe. With its furnishings, porcelain and paintings, the main palace provides a fine insight into court life in the second half of the ^18th century. The European Garden Art Museum is located in the east wing, and the Natural History Museum in the west wing. The palace park was designed according to the fashion of the time and is divided into three gardens: the official garden, the private gardens and the grove. The Tiergarten of the former^17th-century palace has been transformed into a geometrically subdivided hunting ground. In addition to the formal garden and orangery, the English botanical garden, now known simply as the flower garden, exudes a highly romantic atmosphere. The palace park is an oasis for trees, shrubs and wildflowers, and home to many native animals. The oldest trees are the ancient pleated lime hedges which, because they could not be cut back, grew together to form the 250-year-old lime avenues. In the wooded part of the park, visitors will find many flowering plants growing under the tops of trees and shrubs, as well as mosses, ferns and grasses. Most wildflowers bloom white and yellow in spring. The ponds and lakes in Benrath Palace Park were originally fed by the Itter River. As the Itter became increasingly polluted, it was decided to channel it directly into the Rhine. Since then, the park's complex system of pools and canals has been fed by a well. A visit to this marvellous ^18th-century pleasure palace and its magnificent park is a must! Coming from downtown Düsseldorf, Benrath is easily accessible via the U71 and U83 subways. A short detour to the European Landscape Art Museum is highly recommended for botany and gardening enthusiasts. A natural history museum is also open to the public.