Düsseltal

Düsseltal is a borough of Düsseldorf with a rather well-off population and developed around an old convent. It is also known as Düsseldorf-Zoo (after Düsseltal's S-Bahn station), because, until 1943, there was a zoological garden in Düsseltal. The word Düsseltal is German for the valley of the river Düssel.GeographyDüsseltal's neighboring boroughs are, clockwise from the north: Rath, Grafenberg, Flingern, and Derendorf. It is also bordered by the Cologne–Duisburg railway and the Grafenberg forest.Düsseltal occupies an area of 2.98 km2 and has a population of 23,219.HistoryThere was a low population density in the region between Düsseldorf and Grafenberg until the end of the 19th century.In the Middle Ages, the knights Hayc von Flingern ruled the town. The oldest buildings of Düsseltal are the Speckerhöfe and the Buscher Mühle, first mentioned in the 14th century.Jan Wellem, Elector Palantine, donated the Speckerhöfe to the Cistercian monks of Orval who founded a priory in 1701. The monks were henceforth also called the Specker monks. Later on, the monastery took on the name Düsselthal which then became the name of the borough.