DÜSSELDORF

IN THE MIDST - DECEMBER 2005

The last step of this German journey was Düsseldorf. The ladies went shopping, while I was strolling around in the midst...


"CHURCH AND FOUNTAIN. Walking from the Railway Station towards the Königsallee, I found the 1988 fountain by Heinz Mack, with the 3, 6 and 9 meter high concrete sails, at the Place of the German Unity (Platz der Deutschen Einheit); and the church, at Martin Luther Platz"



"KÖNIGSALLEE - KÖ, completed in 1804, is Düsseldorf's best known trademark and Germany's most sophisticated mile. It's considered one of the world's most luxurious boulevards"


"THE MINISTRY JUSTICE of the state North Rhine-Westphalia, located at Martin-Luther-Platz"


"IM FÜCHSCHEN is a Düsseldorfer institution. A brewery existed at the same place as early as 1640, and, although it did not bear the name "Füchschen", it was a popular meeting place. However, the bitter-fresh Füchschen Alt Bier has been brewed on Ratinger Straße since 1848 and with a fox sign adorning the house facade instead of a house number"


"ST. LAMBERTUS CHURCH, built in 1206 and enlarged between 1288 and 1394, is a real icon for the city. The tall spire of the church dominated the city for centuries and, despite present Düsseldorf's skyscrapers, it still stands out clearly from the opposite bank of the Rhine”


"BURGPLATZ AND SCHLOSSTURM - The castle of the Count of Berg stood at this place, before burning in 1872, and being completely demolished in 1888. Burgplatz - one of the most beautiful squares in Germany - is again situated directly on the Rhine, after the opening of the Rhine embankment tunnel in 1995. The old castle tower hosts the Shipping Museum, dedicated to navigation on the Rhine River"



"MARKTPLATZ was built between 1570 and 1573, redesigned in 1749 and reconstructed in 1958-1961. The Old City Hall, part of the town hall complex consisting of three buildings from different periods, and the Christmas market may be seen in the pictures. The Equestrian Statue of the Elector Jan Wellen (1658-1716) by Gabriel de Grupello (1711) dominates the square"


"FILMMUSEUM - Also closed on Mondays..."




"RHEINUFERPROMENADE - There is a new avenue in Düsseldorf: the Rhine embankment promenade, the most beautiful promenade on the Rhine, stretching over 1.5 km from Oberkassel bridge along the Altstadt to the parliament houses of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its construction fulfilled an old dream of the Düsseldorfers, as it sent under ground, unnoticed from above, more than 55.000 motor vehicles that used the B1 road daily. When the promenade was officially opened in June 1995, no wonder that one million people celebrated!"




"RHEINTURM - The Rhine Tower (built between 1979 and 1982 and located near the parliament building and the impressive Gehry towers) is an interesting building, with a nice view of the River, stretching as far as Cologne, when the fog allows you to see something..."


"REFLECTION – Leaving the Promenade and going into the old town again, I found the Spee's Graben, one of Düsseldorf's beautiful gardens. The name of the park near numerous museums and Ministries is derived from the palace Spee, the seat of the City Museum. Spee’s Ditch (Graben in German) was part of the fortifications of the Marie Amalie Bastion, and was transformed into a park in the early years of the 19th century”


"STREET SCULPTURE"


"ALTSTADT - The old town, with its narrow lanes, old churches, breweries and ancient pubs, is a must!"


"SEVENS Shopping Mall at KO is one of the most modern shopping destinations in Dusseldorf. It is named Sevens because of its seven floors, a cabalistic number also for its Japanese investor"


"KÖ AT NIGHT - Goodbye Düsseldorf"