Königsallee
The Königsallee – fondly shortened to “the Kö” by Düsseldorf residents – is the pride of the city. And rightly so, as it’s hardly possible for this splendid boulevard, located between the princely Hofgarten (court gardens) to the north and Gustav Adolf Strasse to the south, to have been more beautifully created: in the middle is a park-like stretch and a waterway that spreads out, spanned with elegantly arched bridges. Strollers just may be reminded here of Paris and, in fact, not only were the Parisian bridges over the Seine the inspiration, but the idea of the boulevard with its double row of sycamore trees on both sides of the canal stems from the French metropolis as well, established by none other than Napoleon himself between 1802 and 1804 after he captured Düsseldorf.
On the west side of the Kö financial institutions have taken up residence behind the pompous facades, but the east side is devoted to the finer things in life – for example, fashion and all the leading lights of the international lifestyle. Where once kings and princes rode in their coaches, today the well-to-do stroll along: “See and be seen” is still as important to Düsseldorf’s society as actually shopping in the luxury boutiques. And this desire to spend in big style and be smartly turned out keeps the fashion designers quite happy. Düsseldorf is Germany’s No. 1 fashion city. Six times a year, the city plays host to international fashion trade fairs.
The Königsallee begins at the grassy Schadowplatz. Here it pays to make a short detour to the elegant Schadow-Arkaden shopping mall. The Triton group in the middle of the boulevard was designed by Fritz Coubillier at the end of the 19th century: the sea god is poised to throw his lance at a huge fish, out of whose mouth a mighty burst of water flows. The large department store behind was created by the famous Jugendstil architect Josef Maria Olbrich. Those wishing to shop will now have to change sides of the street, as the elegant boutiques are lined up, with no exception, on the opposite side of the street. Bring a lot of time with you to calmly experience the sumptuous displays of the noble boutiques, jewelers, perfume stores and art galleries. And take a welcome break from this feast for the eyes in one of the numerous cafés you will find here.
Of the many magnificent Jugendstil houses that stood on this side of the Kö, there are still several that are worth taking a look at, for example the buildings with the house numbers 40 to 46. The trademark of the department store “Sevens” is the glass peak that is pertly wedged between the facades on the Königsallee. The name of the building stems from the number of its stories. Seven levels with shops of vastly differing offerings. Shiny, silver escalators and glass elevators carry shoppers to the stores on the colonnade-like galleries. Colorful neon bands and a huge monitor in the glass inner-courtyard make for a futuristic, almost extraterrestrial look.
Early on, a Düsseldorf architect came up with the idea for a complex shopping experience, and the Kö’galerie is the architectural result of this. Over 100 exclusive specialty shops are gathered here under the glass dome of this edifice. With its extensive program of events, the Kö’galerie is a very lively axis in Düsseldorf’s inner-city. Now it’s just a stone’s throw until the end of the Kö, which again ends with a small, inviting green space. Maybe you, too, will fall under the spell of the charming little bronze boule players.
The long route to the "KÖnigsallee"
Today, truly royal: Formerly it was called “Allee außerhalb der Stadt (Avenue Outside of Town)”, “Neue Allee (New Avenue)”, “Mittelallee (Middle Avenue)” and “Kastanien Allee (Chestnut Avenue)”. Then in 1851 it was given the ‘modern’ name, as a conciliatory gesture to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who had been pelted with horse droppings, Königsallee (King’s Avenue).