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Düsseldorfer Schloss today

Germany · Partial ruin

Düsseldorfer Schloss

Düsseldorfer Schloss was the medieval and early modern residence-palace of the Counts and later Electors in Düsseldorf from the 13th century until its destruction by fire in 1872. It grew into a multi-winged Renaissance and Baroque palace notable for its independent Gemäldegalerie and grand riverside halls. Today only the medieval round Schlossturm survives on the Burgplatz; the rest of the palace was lost and its former footprint is marked in the square.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1712

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1712

What Düsseldorfer Schloss looked like in its prime.

A tall cylindrical stone tower of pale ashlar rises from a broad drum base with horizontal stringcourses; narrow rectangular windows are set vertically up the shaft. The upper floor becomes an octagonal or polygonal lantern of red sandstone with a ring of tall arched, mullioned windows beneath a slate roof and a decorative weather vane. The tower stands alone on the open Burgplatz beside the Rhine, surrounded by town façades and a paved square where the former palace wings once enclosed a courtyard.

Its story

The story of Düsseldorfer Schloss.

The castle was erected in 1260 as a lowland castle of the Counts of Berg, on a small island at the mouth of the Düssel into the Rhine. Its rise is bound to the era when Adolf VIII of Berg, with John I of Brabant and the counts of Jülich and the Mark, ended the rule of Cologne's Archbishop Siegfried II of Westerburg at Worringen in 1288. Two chapels stood by 1399, when Duke Wilhelm swore fealty to King Richard II of England in the smaller of them.

Building gained real momentum when Duke William appointed the Renaissance master builder Alessandro Pasqualini of Bologna in 1549, and Elector Jan Wellem, moving his court residence to Düsseldorf, extended the palace again in the late 17th century. From 1709 to 1712 the Düsseldorf Picture Gallery was built as the first independent gallery building, exhibiting a world-famous collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings until 1805. In 1697 the castle hosted the wedding of Gian Gastone de' Medici, among the last of the Grand Ducal Medici, to Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg.

A mint of the Kingdom of Prussia occupied part of the palace from 1817 to 1848, the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf was housed there for decades, and from 1845 Friedrich Wilhelm IV developed the former residence into the seat of the Rhine Province's Provincial Diet. On the night of 19–20 March 1872 the palace burned; the remaining south wing was demolished in 1896. Only the Schlossturm survives on the Burgplatz, home to the Schifffahrtsmuseum, with the old floor plan hinted at in differently coloured stones in the pavement.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 1712.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Düsseldorfer Schloss, including 3 interiors: tower interior (stair and small galleries), banqueting hall facing the rhine, schlosskapelle (castle chapel). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach across BurgplatzSchlossturm exterior close-upTower interior (stair and small galleries)Gemäldegalerie (picture gallery) exteriorBanqueting hall facing the RhineSchlosskapelle (castle chapel)Three-winged courtyard and loggiaRiverside façade and windowsSite occupying Burgplatz (former palace footprint)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Düsseldorfer Schloss.

The families that held Düsseldorfer Schloss for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Berg

    Erected in 1260 as a lowland castle of the Counts of Berg; later extended as the ducal residence under William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.

From the archive

Düsseldorfer Schloss on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Blick auf das Düsseldorfer Schloss mit Schlossturm nach dem Brand 1872, Düsseldorfer Schloss

Blick auf das Düsseldorfer Schloss mit Schlossturm nach dem Brand 1872

· Art Collection of the University Göttingen (via Europeana)

CC BY-SA

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Düsseldorfer Schloss.

Merkur Spiel-Arena, GermanyStadiumMerkur Spiel-Arena5 km awayRheinEnergie Stadion, GermanyStadiumRheinEnergie Stadion33 km awayCologne Cathedral, GermanyCathedralCologne Cathedral34 km away

Questions about Düsseldorfer Schloss

What is the history of Düsseldorfer Schloss?

Düsseldorfer Schloss began as a lowland castle of the Counts of Berg in the 13th century. It grew into a ducal and electoral Renaissance and Baroque residence, including an independent picture gallery built from 1709 to 1712. A major fire destroyed the palace on the night of 19–20 March 1872, and the remaining south wing was demolished in 1896.

What is inside Düsseldorfer Schloss?

Inside Düsseldorfer Schloss, the surviving Schlossturm contains a stair and small galleries, and it is home to the Schifffahrtsmuseum. The former palace also had a grand banqueting hall facing the Rhine and a Schlosskapelle. These spaces belonged to the larger palace complex, most of which no longer survives.

Why was Düsseldorfer Schloss built, and what was it used for?

Düsseldorfer Schloss was built as a lowland castle for the Counts of Berg on a small island at the mouth of the Düssel into the Rhine. It later served as a ducal and electoral residence, and its palace complex was expanded with court buildings, riverside halls and an independent picture gallery. In the 19th century, parts housed a mint, the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the Provincial Diet.

Where is Düsseldorfer Schloss?

Düsseldorfer Schloss is in Düsseldorf, Germany. The former palace occupied the area now known as Burgplatz in Düsseldorf’s old town, beside the Rhine. Only the Schlossturm survives there, while differently coloured paving stones indicate the former palace footprint.

When was Düsseldorfer Schloss built?

Düsseldorfer Schloss was established in the 13th century. The site record gives 1260 for its erection, while the surviving round tower is also dated to the 13th century. The complex was enlarged in later phases, notably under William in 1549, Jan Wellem in the late 17th century and Charles Theodore in 1755.

Was Düsseldorfer Schloss ever attacked or besieged?

Düsseldorfer Schloss was attacked and shelled by revolutionary French forces on 6 October 1794. Jean-Baptiste Kléber and Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte commanded the French forces, who answered an imperial cannonade with bombardment. A large fire followed during the night of 7 October and the residence palace burned out.

Which family or clan held Düsseldorfer Schloss?

Düsseldorfer Schloss was held by the Counts of Berg. It was later extended as the ducal residence under William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. The castle subsequently became an electoral residence under later rulers, including Jan Wellem.

What did Düsseldorfer Schloss look like in its prime?

At its most developed, Düsseldorfer Schloss was a multi-winged Renaissance and Baroque palace around a courtyard, with grand riverside halls and a picture gallery. The surviving Schlossturm is a tall cylindrical pale-ashlar tower on a broad drum base, with narrow vertical windows and an upper red-sandstone lantern of tall arched mullioned windows beneath a slate roof.

Is Düsseldorfer Schloss still standing or is it a ruin?

Düsseldorfer Schloss is a partial ruin: only the Schlossturm survives. The palace burned in 1872, and the remaining south wing was demolished in 1896. The surviving tower was restored after the fire, while the former palace footprint is now indicated by differently coloured stones in Burgplatz’s pavement.

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