Six museum stores that are an attraction in themselves

If you are looking for unusual souvenirs, you will get your money's worth in Düsseldorf

Do you sometimes feel so motivated after a visit to an art museum that you immediately want to grab your brush and paint tubes to emulate Picasso & Co. Or are you already packing your bags for the big Rhine tour as soon as you leave the Düsseldorf Schifffahrtsmuseum? We know the feeling. It would be too good if some daydreams could be put into practice ad hoc - if it weren't for that certain everyday life that always gets in the way. What helps to bridge the time until your first own exhibition or the weekend trip or simply to remind you of a special trip to a museum? Exactly, a trip to the in-house store! Especially in the old town you will find a variety of houses that offer you a large number of selected, rare souvenirs - from art postcards (hello, inspiration!) to handmade and hand-painted key rings made of fine linen. We wish you a lot of fun while browsing! 

Aquazoo - Löbbecke Museum 

Do you feel like you're being watched when you're in the Aquazoo store wondering whether your nephew will be happier with the plastic crocodile or the rubber shark? That's no coincidence, because the European shore crab lives in one of the many hundreds of aquariums in the museum in Stockum (Kaiserswerther Straße 380), not five steps away from the small but fine display. And when the omnivore, considered one of the 100 worst invaders of the underwater world, is not feeding, it watches the visitors go shopping. And this is almost like a continuation of what awaits you in the museum: you can buy playing cards about marine animals as well as a wooden kit of the great white shark (or real teeth of its fellow species!). You can also get specialist literature on toad tree frogs, for example. If they don't like to be cuddled in real life, the plush penguins in the store will be delighted to find a new home. T-shirts with the Aquazoo logo - an octopus wrapped around the TV tower - can be worn by adults and children alike, perhaps while they're walking to the supermarket with their new shopping bag featuring the fish and "Alles halb so schwimm" logos. However, because of the special wardrobe you might be accompanied by looks again ...  

Maritime Museum 

If - as mentioned at the beginning - you plan to explore the Rhine not only on the banks of Düsseldorf, but also to sail up and down it, a visit to the Schifffahrtsmuseum will serve as the perfect preparation. Why not deepen the knowledge you have gained there with specialist literature, the facts and figures of which will captivate all your fellow travelers during the tour! May we recommend: In the museum's own store on Burgplatz, which has been lovingly and carefully designed, you will find, among other things, a work by museum director Dr. Annette Fimpeler, in which she compiles the most exciting facts about inland navigation. Equally popular: the "Verzeichnis der Hausnamen in der Düsseldorfer Altstadt" (Directory of House Names in Düsseldorf's Old Town), published years ago but always in great demand, in which the Schifffahrtsmuseum, with its view of the Rhine, quite rightly claims pride of place. The youngest visitors also love the book "Geheimversteck Schlossturm," which acts as a continuation of the special guided tours for them. Don't be surprised if one or the other euro disappears from your wallet as if by itself. The range of products, from duffel bags with ship prints to pop-up cards designed especially for the museum and wooden ships to lower into the water, is convincing both in terms of origin (most of the products come from Germany and Europe) and quality. Our insider tip: You'll probably want to take the linen tower keychains made in Ukraine, which employees sew and paint by hand, to your whole family and all your good friends.  

Art Collection NRW - K20 

Grandpa's milestone birthday, Aunt Marlene's retirement, your parents' golden wedding anniversary - and what saying do you hear over and over again? "We don't need anything, we have everything!" In this case, we recommend that you head straight for the K20 art collection on Grabbeplatz. In their store you will find everything that is not absolutely necessary for life, but makes it much more beautiful. From art postcards of works shown in the museum to coffee-table books reminiscent of bricks because of their thickness to fruit baskets made in Berlin from bright yellow wire mesh or Wilhelm Wagenfeld's teapot, you'll find everything your aesthetic heart desires. And souvenirs without end are also available for little money: How about, for example, socks with Andy Warhol's likeness, Banksy playing cards or the "art oracle, life help and inspiration from the greats of art"? We'll take along a mini Düsseldorf in a matchbox as well as a jar of Düsseldorf honey, which is one of a few products even in the display case. Just like the present you bought at the K20, when you surprise grandpa with it! 

Ceramics Museum 

When dark clouds hang over the week, for whatever reason, sometimes not much helps to lift the mood. One way out: to make your surroundings as pleasant as possible and thus provide small pleasures. To do this, for example, bring out the good tableware again, inspired by a visit to the Hetjens ceramics museum in Carlstadt (Schulstrasse 4). Not only can you marvel at outstanding plates, cups and vases from 8,000 years of ceramic history as well as from all over the world. In the store located in the entrance area, you can also take home beautiful objects. You'll find blue and white Japanese bowls as well as tea sets and vases reminiscent of coral. If you really want to delve into the subject, treat yourself to one of the international ceramics magazines or illustrated books on Meissen porcelain, for example. But there's nothing to be said against the competition from the north: we'd be only too happy to welcome pieces from the Royal Porcelain Manufactory KPM, once founded by Frederick the Great, on our own dining table.  

Film Museum 

When Marlene Dietrich, Mario Adorf or James Stewart beam at you in black and white, you know you're in the Film Museum! In the foyer of the museum, which opened in 1993 and illuminates the history of the medium in all its forms, you can equip yourself with much sought-after memorabilia. In the future, for example, a film or exhibition poster of Federico Fellini's "Juliet and the Ghosts" in pop art look could end up on your living room wall. Or would you prefer a magnet for your refrigerator, for example with a motif from the 1958 film "Der Schinderhannes" starring Maria Schell and Curd Jürgens? Some male and female guests might also like a copy with Sophia Loren in "Love and Bread and 1000 Kisses". Also not to be sneezed at: the possibility of purchasing individual films discussed in the exhibition as DVDs in order to delve even deeper into the subject matter. Especially since the relevant specialist literature is available to get started behind the camera yourself. "Film ab! in ten steps to your own film" awaits you, as does a book on animation and the avant-garde, among other things.  

City Museum Düsseldorf 

We're biased, of course, but is there a more beautiful city than Düsseldorf? If you're still not completely convinced, get the "love residue" at the Stadtmuseum (Berger Allee 2) - and then stock up on the appropriate gear to show the whole world your affection for the city on the Rhine. Stock up on a whole repertoire of fan articles: Königsallee stickers, drinking glasses that show the Frank Gehry buildings at the harbor, or the typical wooden bicycle beater. You can then send a variety of postcards with motifs of the city to your neighbors to invite them to a little Killepitsch drink, including Altbier sweets - after all, you can get both liquor and sweets in the store. Grab the books "Glücksorte in Düsseldorf" and "Zu Fuß durch Düsseldorf - Zwölf Spaziergänge" and this new love will last a lifetime. 

Title image: Düsseldorf Tourism