Schlossturm (Ducal Castle Tower)

The Schlossturm stands on Burgplatz in the Altstadt of Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, at the spot where the Rhine promenade meets the old town. It is the surviving tower of the ducal castle of the Counts and later Dukes of Berg, the residence around which the settlement was granted town rights in 1288. The castle was enlarged over the centuries, most visibly under Elector Johann Wilhelm II (Jan Wellem) around 1700, when it served as a court of the Palatinate-Neuburg line and as a centre for his famed picture collection. The wider complex was destroyed by a fire in 1872, after which the ruined wings were cleared and only the tower remained standing. The tower dates in its present form largely to the 16th century, with later repairs, and its plain, fortified brick-and-stone silhouette contrasts with the Baroque and historicist buildings nearby. In the 20th century it housed the Schifffahrt-Museum, a museum of Rhine shipping, and since that museum closed the interior has normally not been open to casual visitors, so the experience is largely external. Visitors see the tower from Burgplatz, where it forms a backdrop to the Stadterhebungsmonument, to the Rhine embankment steps and to the Basilica of St. Lambertus just beside it. The approach is a short walk from the Rathaus and from Bolkerstraße. Because the interior is generally closed, the tower works best as part of a short history loop through the Altstadt: the former castle site, the 1288 monument, the collegiate church and the market square. Information boards and the surrounding paving mark the footprint of the lost castle. Preservation is good for the shell, which was restored after damage in the Second World War, and the tower is lit in the evening, making Burgplatz a popular spot at dusk. Visitors who wish to see inside should check the municipal tourism pages for any special open days or events, since access depends on current use.