Museum für Gartenkunst

In the location's words:

EUROPEAN HORTICULTURE

in all its facets

The Museum of Garden Art is thematically unique, as it is dedicated to European garden art in all its facets. In addition to an overview of the approximately 2,500-year history of gardens, various aspects of garden art are thematized: Flower fashions, sculptures in the park, garden plans, woodcarving, the garden as pharmacy or the import of rare plants. Benrath Palace with its extensive gardens is also presented, as is Düsseldorf as a garden city with an exemplary view of current trends in garden design.

Paintings, sculptures, porcelains, graphics, tools and precious books are combined on an exhibition area of around 2,000 m² and in 41 rooms with media such as models, films and audio stations to create a vivid presentation of the artistic design of old and new gardens. The museum thus offers a comprehensive insight into the cultural history of gardens from antiquity to the present day.

Thanks to its location between individual garden sections and the palace pond, as well as the largely reconstructed room program with numerous historical building elements such as fireplaces, lighting systems, doors and wall paneling, the former guest, servant and service wing offers an appropriate setting for a journey through centuries of European garden art and Benrath Palace history.

The charming atmosphere of the inner courtyard with its unusual layout, its arcades supported by high wooden pillars and the collection of historic citrus trees, which between April and October refers to the three hundred year old Benrath orangery tradition, invites visitors to linger, especially during the summer months.