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Düsseldorf is situated at an altitude of 38 m on the right bank of the Rhine river at the mouth of the river Düssel. Only the quarters Oberkassel, Niederkassel, Heerdt and Lörick are located on the left bank of the Rhine. Düsseldorf is the capital of Germany's state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is the seat of the administrative region Düsseldorf. The city, which is administered as a district in its own right, has a population of about 573,600 (2005).

The earliest written mention of Dusseldorp is found in a document of 1135. In 1288 it was chartered as a town by Count Adolf V of Berg. The dukes of Berg chose Düsseldorf as their residence in 1385. The last duke of Jülich, Kleve and Berg from the house von der Mark died without heir in 1609. It took until 1614 that the Treaty of Xanten in 1614 stipulated that the duchy of Jülich and Berg with Düsseldorf was given to the house of Pfalz-Neuburg. Under Electors Palatine Johann Wilhelm and Karl Theodor Düsseldorf became a formidable residence town. In 1795 the town was occupied by French troops and remained under French rule until 1801. According to the Peace of Lunéville Düsseldorf became part of Bavaria, but already in 1806 it became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Berg. Together with Berg, Düsseldorf became part of Prussia after the Congress of Vienna (1815). After World War I, Düsseldorf was occupied by France between 1921 and 1925. The town was severely hit during World War II. In 1946, Düsseldorf became the capital of the new state of Nordrhein-Westfalen.

The picture on glass no.1412 [left] shows the Königsallee.

The picture on glass no.1413 [left] shows the Rheinpromenade.

The history of the church of Sankt Lambertus [right, no.1413: background right] presumably goes back to a church that was first mentioned in 1159. After 1288 the church was enlarged in Gothic style. The choir was added, the nave was lengthened by one case bay and the construction of the spire was taken up. After 1380 the Romanesque nave was demolished and replaced by a Gothic nave with added side aisles. The new church was consecrated in 1394 and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Lambertus, Apollinaris, Thomas and Pankratius. The relics of St. Appolinaris of Ravenna, the patron saint of Düsseldorf, were brought to the city in 1383 and are kept in a precious shrine of 1699. The Gothic interior decorations were mostly destroyed by a fire in 1634 and were replaced by Baroque decorations. The roof of the spire had to be replaced in 1815. However, the wood that was used for the new roof was not dry enough so that the roof gradually took on a twisted shape. In this peculiar form the spire became a beloved landmark of Düsseldorf. The church obtained the papal title of a Basilica minor in 1974.

The Stadttheater [right, no.1413: left] was built in 1873–1875 by Ernst Giese. In 1906 the interior was remodeled by Hermann vom Endt. In 1925 the theatre was renamed Opernhaus. The auditorium was completely destroyed by bombs in 1943. After its reconstruction it re-opened in 1944, was closed again in the same year before it was re-opened again in 1945. In 1946 the building was used for the first session of the Landtag, the parliament of the new state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. The theatre today ahs a capacity of 1,342 seats and is home to the "Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf/Duisburg" opera company (together with the Stadttheater Duisburg).
[Text adapted from http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/carthalia/]

Glass no.2212 near left shows a view of the old Tonhalle (concert hall). The building was purchased by the city of Düsseldorf in 1863 in order to provide a representative concert hall for its citizens. One year later the musicians that previously only were hired on occasions were formally employed by the city and the Düsseldorf Symphonic Orchestra was founded. Düsseldorf thus was the second city in Germany (after Aachen) that had a regular orchestra. Among the many composers and conductors who worked with the Düsseldorf Symphonic were such famous artists like Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Richard Wagner or Richard Strauss. The Tonhalle building was destroyed in 1942 and the orchestra was dissolved in 1944, but it was already in July 1945 that the first concert could be given after the war. However, it took until 1978 that a new concert hall could be provided by the adaptation of a building that originally had been created for the "GeSoLei" exhibition of 1926 (Große Ausstellung für Gesundheitspflege, soziale Fürsorge und Leibesübungen, 'Grand Exhibition for Health Care, Social Care and Gymnastics').

Glass no.2439 [left] shows a view of the Ruins in the Zoological Garden. The idea for a zoo was brought up by the well-known zoologist and writer Alfred Brehm who had been a frequent guest of the Fauna Society of Düsseldorf. The zoological garden was laid out in an area which at that time was situated at the city's perimeter and today is in the city quarter of Düsseltal. The ceremonial opening took place on the 31st of May, 1876. Part of the grounds of the zoo was a flamingo pond and the artificial ruins of an old castle. During World War II the zoo was completely destroyed by an allied bomb raid in 1943. Parts of the collection could be saved and became the basis for the Löbbecke-Museum which was opened in 1947 in a former air-raid shelter. The museum was expanded by an aquarium in 1948. In 1987 the zoo moved to the Nordpark and reopened under the new name Aquazoo-Löbbecke-Museum. The grounds of the original zoo were redeveloped in 1951 into a public park (Zoopark).

The Kunstpalast [left] is the oldest exhibition building of Düsseldorf. It was built in 1902 after a design based on that of the Petit Palais in Paris. From the 1960's until 1976 the structure was used by the trade show corporation Novea. At that time the structure was already in a somewhat ramshackle condition. Although the Kunstmuseum next door was renovated in 1985, it took until 2001 that the Kunstpalast also was remodeled.

The Apollo-Theater [right] was built in 1898–1899 by Hermann vom Endt as a private theatre at the site of the demolished "Bergisch-Märkischer Bahnhof" and "Köln-Mindener Bahnhof" train stations. The theatre had 3000 seats and was equipped with all functionalities of the contemporary variety stage, including a floodalbe water bassin beyond the stalls. It was also used for theatre, opera and operetta performances, and as a cinema. Between 1921 and 1925 it was home to the municipal theatre company. A new façade was added during major rebuilding works in the 1930's. From 1937 it was used as a cinema by the UFA circuit. During World War II the roof was destroyed by bombs in 1942. The theatre re-opened in 1950 and was later used for pop concerts, carnival balls, and congresses. After its closure in 1959 it was used as a TV studio before it was finally demolished in 1966.
[Text adapted from http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/carthalia/]

The Rhine Bridge between Düsseldorf and Oberkassel [left] was built in 1898. The steel arch bridge was the first firm bridge across the Rhine at Düsseldorf and had a total length of 638 m with two main spans of 181.25 m each. The bridge was destroyed in 1945. A new steel bridge (Oberkasseler Brücke) was constructed in 1926.

The Märchenbrunnen ('fairy tale fountain') [right] in Hofgarten was created by the French sculptor Max Blondat. A design model had already been presented at the Paris Art Salon of 1904 before the fountain was displayed in Düsseldorf at the International Horticultural Exhibition of the same year. It was admired by so many visitors that the Leipziger Kunstverein (Leipzig Art Association), the director of the Palmengarten at Frankfurt and the "Verschönerungsverein für die Stadt Düsseldorf" (Association for the Embellishment of the City of Düsseldorf) competed for its acquisition. Düsseldorf was successful and the fountain was unveiled at its new location at the Ananasberg in Hofgarten in November 1905.