What to see and do in Düsseldorf

Dusseldorf is the capital of the Land of Nordrhein Westfalen (North Rhine - Westphalia). It was raised to this position by the British occupiers in 1946.

The Altstadt is largely re-constructed rather than original (because of war damage) but is well-known for its culinary attractions.
Heinrich Heine was born at Bolkerstrasse 53. He was famously the author of the Loreley song ('Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten..') No. 53 is now the literature bureau and the literature cafe 'Schnabelewopski'. Almost opposite is the Neanderkirche.
The old town hall lies on Marktplatz. It consists of three buildings from different periods. The so-called 'old town hall' (16th century) at the northern side of Marktplatz, the 'Wilhelminischer Bau' (from the time of Emperor Wilhem II) and the 'Grupello house' at the western side. The 'Wilhelminischer Bau' was constructed in 1875 on the site of the old town theater and was rebuilt after the war to a new design. The Grupello house was originally the residence of the sculptor of the Jan Wellem equestrian statue.
This Jan Wellem Equestrian Statue is situated on the Marktplatz in front of the town hall. It portrays Elector Jan Wellem (1658 - 1716)
The inscriptions on its base are translated as :
'Johann Wilhelm', the Count Palatine on the Rhine, the Lord High Steward and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, the Duke of Bavaria, Jülich, Cleve, Berg, the highly meritorious Prince who has enlarged the city and founded the art gallery'
''Erected by the grateful citizens in 1711. Base renewed in 1831'.
Burgplatz lies on its northern edge. The image shows the Lambertus Church whose origins go back to the 13th century.
The is all that remains of relict of the old Düsseldorf city palace. Burnt down in 1882 and damaged in the 2nd World War, the building was renovated and today houses the Maritime Museum.
The Rhein embankment stretches from the Altstadt to the Rhein Tower. It was built between 1990 and 1995 by putting a two kilometer stretch of a main road, that had previously blocked off the river for pedestrians, underground.
The Rhein Tower is 240 meters high. There is an observation deck, cafeteria and revolving restaurant at about 170 meters. There are lights on the tower itself which acts as a clock. This website shows how it works.
The image below shows the Land buildings (of the Land of Nordrhein Westfalen) from the top of the Rheinturm.
The Königsallee ('Kö' for short) is well-known for its shops.
The boulevard dates from 1804 and has a central watercourse, which is the old town moat, and is occupied by the River Düssel. Earlier it was called Kastanienallee (Chestnut Avenue) but appears to have been re-named as a goodwill gesture after an incident when horse manure (Pferdeäpfel, in Deutsch) was thrown at King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. in 1848.
Docks

The docks have been re-developed and is particularly the base of various companies in the fields of advertising, broadcasting and the arts, hence the name Mediahafen.
Schloss Benrath built 1755-1766. Today Schloss Benrath houses various museums, such as the European Horticultural Art Museum.
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Kaiserswerth Here you can view the remains of Emperor Barbarossa's medieval palace, formerly one of the most important castles on the Rhine. It dates originally from the 10th century, built during the reign of Emperor Heinrich III and enlarged between 1174-1184 by Emperor Barbarossa, when he needed a fortress to control the Rhine. Passenger boats regularly ply between Dusseldorf and Kaiserswerth
the Jägerhof Castle. Museum of 20th-century painting. The Goethe Museum
The city is the site of the National Academy of Art, birthplace of the mid-19th century Dusseldorf school of art. Paul Klee and Joseph Beuys taught there.
Art Collection, with fine displays of 20th-century painting, including the largest collection of works by Klee in Germany, and works by Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, and Marc Chagall
Hetjens Museum, with a large collection of ceramics covering 8000 years of pottery
The Aqua Zoo is a small aquarium/museum situated in the Nordpark, which was laid out in 1937. There is an Aqua Zoo stop on the U79 line between Dusseldorf and Duisburg. Although there is a Zoo stop on the S-Bahn, this particular zoo no longer exists
Airport, dates from 1925