Düsseldorf Equestrian Statue

In Düsseldorf’s old town, directly in front of the town hall, there is an equestrian monument that was created by Gabriel de Grupello in 1711.
This equestrian statue shows the Elector Johann Wilhelm II, who in Düsseldorf is usually only called Jan Wellem. It is intended to commemorate the prince elector, as he supported the economic and cultural boom in Düsseldorf during his lifetime from 1658-1716. Among other things, he is responsible for the expansion of Düsseldorf as a city of art and culture.

He also ensured better road conditions and city lighting as well as a sustainable expansion of the city. But he also liked to celebrate what drained the city treasury, but did not damage his popularity. According to the stories, Jan Wellem is also said to have been a friend of Altbier and, due to his initiative, the police ordinance from 1706 for brewing beer on the Lower Rhine is said to have been issued. This regulation is not as detailed as the Bavarian Purity Law, but it makes it clear that beer also played an important cultural, but certainly also a decisive economic role in the Lower Rhine region, or that it still plays today.