OROGOLD Locations

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Also known as Benrath Palace, Schloss Benrath is a baroque-style palace that was completed in 1770, and holds such historic significance for the city of Düsseldorf that it has been submitted for UNESCO World Heritage designation. From exploring the actual palace and the museum within to touring the baroque square hunting park that surrounds it, this is a part of the city that history buffs will not want to miss.

The Main Palace
The Main Palace is where most visitors to Benrath Park start off at, and is a fantastic introduction to all that you will be seeing. The main palace contains historic furniture, art work, porcelain and more, all of which have been curated to give visitors an accurate impression of what court life would have been like in the later half of the 18th century. There are many exhibits on display to take a look at here, and guided tours are available if you would like a more in-depth knowledge of everything around you.

Other Museums in the Palace
Benrath Palace is home to two museums, one in its east wing and one in its west wing. The museum in the east wing is the Museum of European Garden Art, and is quite a unique one for the way in which it focuses solely on garden art from different parts of Europe. In the west wing, you will find the Natural History Museum, which is considered to be one of the best museums in the city. As you would expect, this museum focuses on natural history, but does this with a local spin, making it quite unique. There are also several exhibits here based on Benrath Park itself, which you will then be able to explore for yourself.

The Palace Park
Benrath Park is an oasis when it comes to greenery, and you will immediately notice the wide range of plants that live here. The park is divided into three distinct gardens, each with its own unique theme. From the French Garden with its spectacular orangery to the romantic Flower Garden, which used to be known as the English Garden, there is plenty to see here. As you make your way around the park, you will notice all of the lime tree avenues that surround you, and these are actually over 250 years old, and were created over time by training the growth of the trees. End you visit at the wooded section of Benrath Park, as the lush tree canopies provide a one-of-a-kind ecosystem for flowering plants to grow, as well as a number of colorful wildflowers, canals and ponds.

Benrath Palace was originally built as a hunting lodge and summer residence for Elector Carl Theodor, with its location being chosen due to its proximity to the River Rhine. While there were numerous garden palaces created in the 18th century, all over the world, Benrath Palace and its park is considered to be one of the most beautiful, and this is something that you will no doubt agree with once you pay it a visit for yourself.

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Situated on the sprawling grounds of Cambridge’s Harvard University, the Harvard Museum of Natural History features a combination of the most exciting specimens from the university’s three other natural history museums. From the permanent exhibitions that showcase the mind-boggling diversity of life that this planet holds, to public lectures and special events where visitors can learn about natural history in even more depth, it is easy to see why this is the most frequently visited out of all of Harvard University’s museums.

Africa, Asia & America
Three of the permanent exhibits at the museum focus on specific geographical areas; Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Each of these exhibits features mounted wildlife exhibits that are native to that particular region. In the Africa exhibit, visitors will be able to see lions, gorillas, a hippopotamus and rare species from the island of Madagascar, while in Asia, visitors will be greeted by a rare Indian rhinoceros, Siberian tigers, cheetahs and the clouded leopard. In the Central and South America exhibit, some of the wildlife highlights include the jaguar, tapir, sloth and an entire wall of hummingbirds.

Bees!
This spring and summer exhibit will be held until November, and features different bee specimens from all over the world. Bees are absolutely vital to the survival of our planet, and this display helps to emphasize this, teaching visitors more about these incredible creatures, as well as showing off the honey-making process.

Climate Change: Our Global Experiment
Climate change is a topic that is becoming increasingly important, and this exhibit is a way for visitors to learn the facts about the issue, in order to make their own decisions about what the planet needs. The exhibit puts on display all of the latest research from the experts at Harvard, as well as other institutions around the world, and also has a simulation globe that visitors can interact with, allowing them to learn about the consequences that climate change has had, as well as what lies in store for the future.

New England Forests
The forests of New England are beautifully unique and diverse, which is exactly what this exhibit aims to celebrate. This multimedia exhibition takes a close look at the way in which New England’s forests have responded to human activity over the years, while showcasing the circle of life that lives within them, from the microscopic insects that live in forest ponds to the ecology of wolves and woodland caribou.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is home to a number of other exciting exhibits, teaching visitors all about natural history from all over the world. The museum also holds several different special events and classes for adults, from wildlife drawing sessions taught by renowned artists to fascinating talks and lectures on New England’s natural history. The museum itself is open daily, and an admission ticket also grants you access to the adjacent Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which is also worth a visit if you have some extra time to spare.

Tag Archives: Natural history

The Schloss Foundation and Benrath Park

The Harvard Museum of Natural History