The Stammheim Palace Park in the north of Cologne is always worth a visit. The landscape garden is one of the oldest and most important in the city. The twelve-hectare site on the right bank of the Rhine is located directly on the Rhine opposite the Niehl district. On the bank side, the park is mostly framed by old brickwork.
Visitors notice the modern sculptures between the trees. Some of the old giant trees are 200 years old, and there are also rare trees. Obtaining these around 1830 was not always easy. At that time, Count Franz Egon von Fürstenberg-Stammheim had the triangular park laid out by the famous garden director Maximilian Friedrich Weye.
Trees and plants were brought from Düsseldorf and Bonn, for example, by ships and horse-drawn carriages.
Only after the sale to the city of Cologne in 1928 were citizens allowed to enter the park and the palace. During the Second World War, everything fell into disrepair and the palace was destroyed in a bombing raid. After the war, Leverkusen-based Bayer AG bought the site and built the now vacant, listed "Ulrich Haberland House", which was once a retirement and student residence. Since 1983, the site has belonged to the city again.
Lovers of garden art get their money's worth in the impressive Stammheim Castle Park, as do day-trippers looking for a beautiful spot or peace and quiet. Since the main paths are asphalted, the park is also suitable for people with disabilities. Art lovers can look forward to the annually changing sculpture exhibitions.