The Stadtmuseum is the oldest museum in Düsseldorf. In 1873, a donation of oil paintings from the estate of the Freiherr of Stutterheim gave the first impulse to the foundation of the museum.

With visitor participation being key to the Stadtmuseum, it breaks new ground by providing a platform which enables citizens to shape urban processes. The commentary and work levels, as well as the project rooms of the collection, which spans prehistory and protohistory through to the present and is of considerable European significance, enable visitors to view, discuss, research and design their own city free of charge. The mobile visitor service is readily available for specific information. Major special exhibitions on architecture, fashion, art, photography, music and film focus on the local and the global city.