Duesseldorf Travel Guide

TOUR 1: BRAUHAUS TOUR

Do you love beer? Real beer? Dark, top-fermented Alt-beer? Then you've chosen the right city! Brewing has a long tradition here, and the Altstadt is full of pubs that serve locally brewed beer.

You won't find trendy, modern design in these places. Though you will find guys in blue aprons with a leather belt-purse, who will serve you in a competent but rather abrupt manner. And you can order dishes like Schweinshaxe, (grilled leg of pork) or local specialties such as Halwe Hahn, a rye roll with a strong hard cheese, caraway and mustard.

Does that whet your appetite? Then take a taxi or the U-Bahn to Heinrich-Heine-Allee/Altstadt, this is where the pedestrian zone starts, and head for the Bolker Straße. Everything happens outside if the weather is nice. Each pub will have tables out all summer. On your right you'll find Im Goldenen Kessel, serving Brauerei Schumacher Alt. It's rather quiet compared to the other breweries—just the pub and beer to get you into the right mood for the night.

Next, make your way to Zum Schlüssel. Gatzweiler Alt is the beer to drink here, and there's a great choice of food. Take the opportunity to prepare your stomach for the beer to come. Turn left when you come out of Zum Schlüssel, and follow the street up to the Rathaus, the big square with a statue of Jan-Wellem-Reiterstandbild on horseback—he formed the brewers' guild in 1712.

Zum Uerige is probably packed by this time. If it's dry there will be hoards of people just outside the pub, enjoying their beer on the street. The great thing about breweries is that they are a meeting place for all walks of life, which certainly cannot be said for all the bars in Düsseldorf. People here are usually very friendly and are likely to start a conversation with you in broken English or just offer you a drink.

After all this German brewery experience you might want to have a 'good night'—schnapps at the Killepitsch, just opposite the Uerige. However if you still feel like more beer, laughter and crowds, you will have to head for Im Füchschen, on Ratinger Straße—the ultimate German beer bar experience! (walk along the promenade, past the Stadterhebungsmonument and shortly afterwards turn right into a cobbled street called the 'Altestadt')

TOUR 2: KAISERSWERTH

Kaiserswerth was actually once an island—werth translates as river-island. As early as the 11th century, a Kaiserpfalz, or monarch's residence, was found here. Today only ruins remind you of the first and successive buildings, one of which was ordered by Barbarossa in the 12th century. The castle was blown up in 1702. Kaiserswerth, however, now prides itself on its charming atmosphere, created by gaslights, cobbled streets and beautifully restored houses.

Take the U 79 to Klemensplatz, walk down the Kaiserswerther Markt, and then turn right into An dem hohen Wall. At the end of this alley you'll find a school, which houses the 'Heimatmuseum', the museum of the town's history. Here you will learn everything about the history, politics and society of Kaiserswerth—Florence Nightingale even once lived here.

Go straight on when leaving the school, and you'll pass the church where Theodor Fliedner, the founder of the Diakonissenwerk, an early social welfare organisation, gave his sermons. If you turn left you'll be on the main square called 'Kaiserswerther Markt', where you can have a rest in one of the cafés. The buildings that surround the market are worth a look, too. There is an old customs house, a former weaving mill and what was the main office of the Diakonissenwerk.

If you cross the market towards the Rhine and turn left into Dauzenbergstraße you'll see the church St. Suitbertus, situated in the middle of a 17/18th century-square. Leave the square heading towards the Rhine and turn left, and you'll see the remains of the castle. Go for a stroll along the Rhine, or just watch the black freight boats struggle against the river current.

If you prefer a romantic stroll through a tree-lined alley, turn in to Barbarossa Wall just across from the Im Ritter pub. If you get tired of this side of the Rhine you can always swap shores—a ferry runs till late. And if you don't feel like walking there are all kinds of restaurants at Kaiserswerth. The Burghof and Im Ritter both offer beer gardens, and if you want to treat yourself to some exquisite food, there's three-star haute cuisine at Im Schiffchen.

TOUR 3: ARCHITECTURE

It is not only the 'Stadttor' or the Gehry—buildings in Düsseldorf that are of interest for fans of modern architecture. The three-layered Thyssen-Hochhaus building from the 1950s, the white piano-shaped theatre from the 1970s, and numerous exhibitions about design have been attracting visitors for quite some time.

And who would ever guess that in the 1980s the Carsch-House was moved—actually dismantled then rebuilt 23 metres away to make room for the U-Bahn? Or that the Oberkasseler Brücke was built 50 metres away from its current position, and later moved!

The tour begins with a view of that bridge from the Rhine promenade, facing the Rheinturm television tower. The first stop is the Landtag, the regional parliament building (Düsseldorf is the capital of the federal state of North-Rhine-Westphalia), which was finished in 1988. Rising before you is the Rheinturm, 234 metres high, with a pricey restaurant at 180 metres, offering a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding towns on clear days.

Leave the tower to your right, pass guards' house and walk up the artificial hill toward the glass-column that is the Stadttor. It's an office building, so it's open during the day. Don't hesitate to have a look inside—it's breathtaking! There's a little path left of the building, which leads to the back entrance. Walk down the driveway. The light-blue building that you see is WDR (West German Broadcasting), which was finished in 1991. Look left and you'll see three strangely angled buildings: the Gehry-Buildings.

Frank O. Gehry was born in Canada in 1929. He also designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao and, recently, 162 welfare flats in Frankfurt Goldstein, proving that welfare housing doesn't have to be dull! Food and drink are available on the opposite side.

If you walk on there's the so-called 'media-mile', with more examples of modern architecture. Don't be too shy to steal a glance of the interiors—they're splendid. After the first complex there's a spot that overlooks the whole harbour area and the city.2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 70