On the edge of the picturesque centre of Kaiserswerth, the mighty ruins of the legendary Emperor Barbarossa’s medieval palace rise directly from the riverbank, once one of the most important fortresses on the Rhine.

Two cities, two branches: The Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg have jointly performed at Düsseldorf’s Opernhaus (1,292 seats) and Theater Duisburg (1,079 seats) since 1956. With one of the largest opera ensembles in the world and one of the major ballet companies in the German-speaking region, it is one of the prime addresses for musical theatre and dance in Europe. The programme includes: Grand Opera from baroque rarities all the way to contemporary musical theatre and a ballet that sets new standards with uncompromising aesthetics.

L’Horloge Fleurie is a super-size watch with a diameter of five metres, made of 6,500 flowering plants and shrubs, symbolising Switzerland’s world-famous watch industry. This symbol has been around since the 1950s, and the decorations and plants are changed in harmony with the season.

Düsseldorf's Goethe-Museum is housed in the former hunting palace "Schloss Jägerhof", which was finished in 1772 and is located at the eastern edge of the Hofgarten. Since 1956 Goethe's life and work is presented via about 1000 exhibition pieces in chronological order. The first editions of the poet's individual works are kept in glass cases, surrounded by draft manuscripts and letters from the period when they were written. Pictures of towns and landscapes show places where Goethe wrote his books; pictures of the poet and his friends complete the exhibition.