Municipal Parks.
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Experiencing Dusseldorf also means discovering it's beautiful parks and splendid gardens. The city became known as the Garden City in the early 18th century when Johann Wilhelm II, Elector of Palatinate, made it his royal capital.
Lovers of nature can find wide arrangements of natural held vegetation in the Dusseldorf city parklands, the Düsseldorfer Stadtwald, The parklands surround the city from the north and east to the south. The areas are even big enough for cycling tours. In the centre of Dusseldorf one can find the central park, named Hofgarten. In 1769 Nicholas de Pigage set out the garden as royal pleasure garden for Jägerhof stately home. It was created in the classical French style with statues, gypsum lions and fountains. Nowadays the so-called Green Island, Grüne Insel, between the opera house, theatre and the Goethe museum unites two kinds of styles, the strict classical French style and the English park style, which accentuates the naturalness of the scenery.
Another very artful park lies in Stockum directly next to the Aquazoo. The Nordpark fascinates with its 170-m-long water fountains and by the skilfully invested paths and flowerbeds. The direct location to the Rhine as well as to the north cemetery, Nordfriedhof, invites the visitors to dare vast walks. The Japanese garden is perhaps the most beautiful part of the Nordpark. It shows nature in an idealised way. The garden serves as a place of meditation with a pond for Koi fish. The association Japanese Garden on the Rhine, Japanischer Garten am Rhein, cares intensely for this jewel.
Near the Philipshalle lies the south park, Südpark, including the people’s garden, Volksgarten, and a cemetery. Created in the late 19th century the concept of the Volksgarten was to be close to nature and simple in structure. In the 1980s he was renewed and a new area was added. From here you also can get to the botanical gardens situated next to the Heinrich Heine University. As a scientific connection to the university, the garden serves not only for research and apprenticeship. It also is opened to visitors. The organisation offers a varied programme with exhibits, guidances and talks. The dome which houses subtropical plants can be entered free of charge like all gardens in Dusseldorf.
Whoever is interested in historical parks of castles should definitely visit the Schloss Benrath in the south of Dusseldorf. Likewise worth a visit are Eller castle and Heltorf castle as well as the Mickeln castle. A different kind of park is the Zoopark. Situated in the district Düsseltal it reminds of a former Zoo founded already in 1874 but destroyed by bombing. Today no animals live here anymore but many visitors frequent the extensive playgrounds for children.
In a nutshell, the parks and gardens in Dusseldorf provide the excellent green lungs, which offer rest and artful ambience!
