Dusseldorf's Stadtmuseum covers the city's history through artifacts, art, photographs, and changing exhibitions. It is housed in the rebuilt baroque Palais Spee, with a modern west wing and a quiet garden behind it.
The museum is useful if you want more context for the old town and the city's growth on the Rhine. Even a short visit is worthwhile for the garden, where paths and a pond follow the small Sudliche Dussel.