Jan-Wellem-Reiterdenkmal (equestrian monument)

Jan Wellem, in High German dialect: Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, must have been a true Düsseldorf local. He led a lavish court life, was cheerful and was devoted to the fine art

During his lifetime, from the middle of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th century, the Elector founded the Düsseldorfer Gemäldegalerie (picture gallery) and thus laid the foundation for the art metropolis on the Rhine. No wonder the city thanked one of its favourite sons. “The most beautiful equestrian statue north of the Alps,” enthused Kenner about the monument by Gabriel de Grupello, which was erected in 1711 on the market square - just a few steps from Jan Wellem's former residence, the former Düsseldorf palace on Burgplatz.