General |October 28, 2021

"Sanssouci on the Rhine"

Benrath Palace with its extensive park is dear to the people of Düsseldorf as an excursion destination. But even locals don't know some of the details of its history. Historian and art mediator Stefanie Kemper talks about the "jewelry box.

Shouldn't everyone own a pleasure castle? Actually, yes. The people of Düsseldorf, at any rate, consider themselves lucky to call such a maison de plaisance their own. Whereas their "Sanssouci" used to be a day's ride away at the gates of the city, they can now reach it from the city center after a short car or train ride or, even more relaxed, after a good half-hour bike ride.

But what did Elector Karl Theodor of the Palatinate and his wife Elisabeth Auguste think of their time out in the countryside? We ask Stefanie Kemper, historian and art educator at Benrath Palace - and learn an unusual story.

We walk through the castle on felt slippers. Why?

The floor here is made of very special Lahn marble, which is no longer quarried. If damage occurs here, you have to repair it with another marble. Of course, we would like to avoid that. The parquet floors are also very sensitive and should be protected.

Benrath Palace was built by Nicolas de Pigage as a hunting lodge for Elector Karl Theodor von der Pfalz and his wife Elisabeth Auguste. It was completed in 1771 after 15 years of construction. How often did the electoral couple visit their summer retreat?

Karl Theodor and Elisabeth Auguste actually visited their domicile only once. And not even together! The Elector traveled for a hunting stay, his wife stayed overnight here in 1771 on the occasion of the inauguration and never came back afterwards. One should know: The couple had to marry for dynastic reasons and avoided each other all their lives. She later lived mostly in Oggersheim, he moved to Munich.

A pleasure palace without lovers?

Yes, that's right. Yet we are dealing with a very romantic love nest here. In addition to the domed hall, where official occasions were to be celebrated, there are two residential wings. On the left of the hall is the one for Elisabeth Auguste, on the right the one for Karl Theodor. How elaborate the plans were can be seen in my two favorite places, the bathrooms, which are not part of the official tour. They were not only each connected to the neighboring bedroom, but also, through secret passages, to the bathroom and bedroom of the opposite sex. So the electoral couple could have visited each other unnoticed at any time.

What makes the baths so special?

Their furnishings. Both are richly decorated with stucco. The bath of Karl Theodor with two fauns and a canopy of oak leaves, that of Elisabeth Auguste with two water nymphs carrying a bath towel.

You say that the baths are left out of the official tour. Do visitors not get to see them at all?

Yes, they do. They are part of the so-called hidden rooms tour "From bedroom to bedroom".

Were there any other secret passages?

Yes, even the staff had secret corridors and there is even an invisible mezzanine, the servants' floor, where the servants lived.

And who, if not the electoral couple, inhabited the castle?

The architect's brother, Louis de Pigage. He had the task of managing the castle - and had to regularly ask his employer, the Elector, for money to maintain the building and the garden.

What should you not miss in Benrath?

The gardens of Benrath Palace are beautiful. On the one hand, there are the private gardens of Karl Theodor and Elisabeth Auguste, an English-style walk garden and a baroque garden as if drawn with a compass and ruler. But the large kitchen garden and the orangery are also worth seeing.

Another characteristic of Benrath Palace is its proximity to the Rhine. This is a plus point that we like to point out to our visitors. It is only 900 meters through the palace park to the banks of the Rhine. There you can sit on the beach, cool your feet and end the day in a fish restaurant.