Hofgarten

The Hofgarten is Düsseldorf's oldest public park and one of the earliest landscaped city parks in Germany, laid out in the eighteenth century in North Rhine-Westphalia and later redesigned in the English landscape style. It stretches through the city centre between the Altstadt, Königsallee and the Rhine-side districts, with the main entrance at Corneliusplatz and Jan-Wellem-Platz. Broad tree-lined avenues, ponds, lawns and sculpture make it a green spine through the centre. Within the grounds, visitors find Schloss Jägerhof with the Goethe Museum at the northern end, the Napoleon-era Napoleonsberg viewpoint, the pond with fountains and swans, the Ananasberg hill, and monuments such as the Jan Wellem equestrian statue nearby on the square. The Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus theatre sits at the park's edge, and its glass-and-white façade is a frequent photo subject. Cyclists, joggers and dog walkers share the paths, and benches and cafés are scattered along the way. A walk through the main route takes 1 to 2 hours, depending on how many side paths and ponds are explored. The park is open around the clock and free to enter. It is at its best in spring, when cherry and magnolia blossom line the paths, and in autumn when the avenues turn gold. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while sunny weekend afternoons draw large numbers of locals, picnickers and street musicians. A good route starts at Corneliusplatz, crosses the central avenue towards the Hofgarten ponds and ends at Schloss Jägerhof, from which the walk to Königsallee takes about 10 minutes. Summer evenings bring open-air events and the nearby Schauspielhaus lights up after dark. Lighting inside the park is limited at night, so visitors usually keep to the main paths after dusk.