Schloss Benrath
Schloss Benrath (Benrath Palace) is a Baroque-style "maison de plaisance" (pleasure palace) in Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf. It was erected for the Elector Palatine Charles Theodor and his wife, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach, by his garden and building director Nicolas de Pigage. Construction began in 1755 and was completed in 1770. The ensemble at Benrath has been proposed for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buildings. The main building, the central "corps de logis", for the Elector Palatine and his wife is flanked by two arched symmetrical wings, the "maisons  de cavalière", which originally housed the servants. They partially surround a circular pond, the "Schlossweiher" (palace pond), in the north. On the southside lies a long rectangular pond, the "Spiegelweiher" (mirror pond). From the predescant castle, which stood formerly in the mid of the long rectangular pond on the southside of the palace, is conserved only one of the servant wings, the so-called "Alte Orangerie" (Old Orangery). Museums. The main building "corps de logis" is a museum with guided tours. Sometimes music concerts are also performed. The two wings house two museums since 2002: the "Museum for European Garden  Art" in the east wing and the "Museum of Natural History" in the west wing. Park. It is surrounded by a baroque square hunting park with two crossing diagonal alleys and a circular alley.