Travel

Schloss Benrath: The prettiest pink pleasure palace

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

When staying in Essen in Germany last August I mostly asked my hosts what they wanted to show me, and just trotted along after them, learning and enjoying the adventure.  It’s a wonderful way to travel, because you get to see things that mean something to the people who live there, and get introduced to amazing stuff you might never have assumed was interesting (like the German Mining Museum and the best table centrepiece ever!).

But I did have one request.  Could we go see Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf?  I’d seen pictures of the palace online, and it is so pretty!  (and I wanted to see at least one castle in every country I visited 🤣).

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

So we made a girls day of it: Ripeka and Miss Six and I touring pretty pink pleasure palaces and the stunning park.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Let me tell you, the pictures I saw online did not begin to do this place justice!  It’s so utterly perfect and darling!

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

(I can’t say my photos really do it justice either, but they are hopefully a little better than the Wikipedia images, which are frankly pretty lacklustre).

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath was built between 1755 and 1770.  It was commissioned by Elector Palatinate Charles Theodore and his first wife, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach.  It was designed by French builder/architect Nicolas de Pigage.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

The palace is a perfect miniature jewellery box of a house, with a suite of rooms each for the Elector and Electress on either side of the house, connected by a secret corridor (secret tunnel!) through the middle of the house, and three large receptions rooms on either side of the house.  Upstairs there are smaller rooms for attendants (unfortunately we weren’t able to see them), and the cellars held kitchens.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Visitors and other attendants were housed in the two side annex buildings.  Today the annexes house the Museum for European Garden Art and the Museum of Natural History.  We only managed to see the first, and it was amazing: I’ll do a post on it.

But, back to the palace!

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

It’s the absolute perfect size: just big enough to be interesting and to feel fully worth the entry fee, but not so big that you walk through the rooms in a daze of elaborately sculpted ceilings and inlaid marble floors, thinking “wow, the 300th most amazing room I’ve ever seen in my life” until your eyes glaze over.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

With only 12ish of them, we had the energy to admire each individual ceiling, and to learn about the wall mouldings and frescoes.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

The ceilings really were fabulous.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

And the floors!  I dream of the floors!

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

We wore wool slippers over our shoes to protect them (except Miss Six who just had to clean hers)

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

I learned that you can actually book a photoshoot at Schloss Benrath, and I dream of going back to get something more glamorous than mirror selfies.  In period accurate dress, natch…

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

According to the audio guide to the palace, it’s possible that Charles and Elisabeth never actually visited the palace, or that only Elisabeth ever used it, as their marriage effectively ended in 1768, and they saw each other as little as possible.

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf thedreamstress.com

A wonderful visit, and a perfect day – with the most perfectly behaved six year old I’ve ever met!  We spent almost 5 hours trotting around the house, museum, and park (with a break for lunch) and she was cheerful and interested in everything the whole time, with impeccable museum etiquette.  And then we climbed back in the car at the end, popped her in her safety seat, and within 3 minutes she was fast asleep, utterly worn out.

4 Comments

  1. Lynne says

    So many wows as I looked through the photos! What an enchanting place! As you say, a jewel box of a house/castle.

  2. Stephanie says

    That is gorgeous, thankyou for sharing. What an absolutely perfect shade of pink!

  3. Cirina says

    German palaces from that time are really something – all those small sovereign states trying one-up each other:)
    I like the photo with the duo of visitors, standing just behind the entrance to the perfect pink-gold room and just staring, it nicely captures the wonder of it.

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