Important museums present high-calibre exhibitions of unique art and cultural treasures.Aquazoo/Löbbecke Museum
Opened in 1987, the Aquazoo/Löbbecke Museum in Düsseldorf is a municipal facility which is both an aquarium and a natural history museum. The 6,800m² site consists of 25 themed display rooms with 80 aquariums holding a total of 613,000 litres of water and around 550 different living species. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by the friendly penguins. Children are particularly impressed by the sharks and crocodiles, which glide past the glass panels of the aquariums. The Aquazoo also features a tropical hall, 62 landscape terrariums, insectariums, 230 display cases, information panels and other major exhibits. The Löbbecke Collection includes approximately 250,000 molluscs, 75,000 geoscientific exhibits, 650,000 insects and the Löbbecke archive. Disabled access. Closed 1 January, Carnival Monday, 1 May, and 24, 25 and 31 December, guided tours on request.
» www.duesseldorf-tourismus.deDüsseldorf Film Museum
Opened in the heart of Düsseldorf's old quarter in 1993, the Film Museum houses temporary exhibitions along with a permanent collection on film and cinematic history that covers everything from the early fairground cinemas and the animated films of Lotte Reiniger to costumes from significant films in cinematic history and general topics such as cinema architecture, the stars system, film editing, film technology, sound films, animation technology, film politics and film financing. Closed on Mondays, Carnival Sunday, 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Guided tours on request.
» www.filmmuseum-duesseldorf.deHetjens Museum/German Ceramics Museum
Founded in 1909, the Hetjens Museum is the only collection in the world that covers the entire 8,000-year history of ceramics under one roof. Every era and culture is represented and exhibits originate from all corners of the globe. The largest object in the 8,500m² exhibition area is a cupola built in 1680. Almost as large as the room that accommodates it, this stunning work of art originates from Multan, now part of Pakistan. Closed on Mondays, carnival days, Whit Monday, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
» www.duesseldorf-tourismus.deK20/K21
The K20/K21 in Düsseldorf probably has the most important collection of modern art in Germany. At its core is a set of about 90 paintings by Paul Klee, who once taught at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. The K20 collection focuses predominantly on 20th century masterpieces, including works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Beckmann, Beuys and many others. The K21 specialises primarily in more recent works of contemporary art. Closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 Dec.
» www.kunstsammlung.deEuropean Museum for Garden Art
The European Museum for Garden Art was opened in the east wing of Benrath Palace in Düsseldorf in 2002. The palace and grounds together create a work of art, with aspects of the park relating directly to the central rooms of the palace – the reflecting pond to the domed hall, the English and French gardens to the private rooms of the royal couple. There is also a wonderful kitchen garden in front of the orangery. An exhibition space of 2,000m² presents sculptures, paintings, prints and drawings, porcelain, books and models. The exhibits range from the villas and the locus amoenus of Antiquity to the Italian Renaissance, from baroque representation to the less formal English garden. Open all year round, closed on Mondays. Guided tours on request.
» www.schloss-benrath.deKunst im Tunnel art gallery
This elegant glass structure was built in 2006 on a tree-lined stretch of the Rhine promenade. At the cutting edge of modern art, fashion and design, the gallery provides a platform for the artistic avant garde. Kunst im Tunnel (KIT) is a subterranean showcase of contemporary creativity – pitched in a dormant space between the bores of the road tunnels, two metres below the embankment. Stairs or a disabled lift lead down to 888m² of underground exhibition space, filled with paintings, photographs and video art. Frequently changing exhibitions mean every visit offers something new. Closed on Mondays.
» www.kunst-im-tunnel.demuseum kunst palast
Variety is the hallmark of the collections held by the museum kunst palast foundation. Covering an exhibition area of 10,000m², its three wings display art and cultural treasures from the Middle Ages to the present day, with artists of the Düsseldorf school featuring prominently. More than 500 works are on show, among them paintings, installations, sculptures, objets d'art, drawings, photos, videos, illuminated manuscripts, fabrics and a collection of internationally renowned prints, including many important Italian baroque drawings. A feature of the exhibition are the various masterpieces from all over the world (e.g. Europe, Japan, Iran). These span a period from the third millennium BC to the present day, encompassing the late Gothic, Renaissance and baroque periods as well as Goethe's era and the 19th century. Closed on Mondays, guided tours available.
» www.museum-kunst-palast.de