Carol Reed’s “The Third Man” (1949) remains a landmark of film noir, iconic in its atmospheric portrayal of post-war Vienna, the Anton Karas’s haunting zither score, and Orson Welles’s performance as the enigmatic Harry Lime. Voted the greatest British film of the 20th century, it captured a city divided by Allied occupation — a world of shadows, rubble, and moral ambiguity — while showcasing both Vienna’s grand landmarks and its gritty sewers. Operated by passionate private collectors, The Third Man Museum displays over 3,000 artefacts, from original scripts and film props to period documents illustrating Allied-occupied Vienna (1945–1955). The collection spans 16 rooms, offering deep context into the film’s production and its historical backdrop. Guided tours (75 minutes, in English) delve into cinematography, the impact of the zither score, and the city’s complex post-war reality. Note: cash only for entry. The above-ground Third Man Walking Tour, offered by independent guides, visits key filming locations in the Innere Stadt, including Josephsplatz and Mölkerbastei. Using film stills and audio clips, it recreates the film's mood while exploring Vienna’s historic centre. It focuses on the architectural and urban settings that shaped the story, without entering the sewers. Another tour, 3. Mann Tour – Sewer, descends into the functional sewers where the film’s climactic chase was shot. You’ll traverse walkways above flowing wastewater while projections of film scenes play on tunnel walls. It’s an immersive, if somewhat damp, experience. Tours are popular and require advance booking.

On the edge of the picturesque centre of Kaiserswerth, the mighty ruins of the legendary Emperor Barbarossa’s medieval palace rise directly from the riverbank, once one of the most important fortresses on the Rhine.

The Museum Kunstpalast, which was redesigned by Oswald Matthias Ungers and opened in 2001, is located in the centre of Düsseldorf, right on the Rhine river. Ever since it reopened, the house has gained a splendid international reputation with its high-quality exhibitions, such as Miró, Dalí, Warhol, Caravaggio, "Bonjour Russia", "Diana and Actaeon" and Per Kirkeby. The permanent exhibit too, whose spectrum ranges from medieval sculptures to an outstanding assortment of Baroque graphic works up to paintings of the Düsseldorf School of Painting and Expressionism, as well as contemporary photography, is held in great esteem all over the world. The Hentrich Glass Collection is also found in the Museum Kunstpalast, and is the most comprehensive glass collection in Europe, tracing the development of glass artistry without interruption from luxury glass objects of the pre-Roman period up to glass art from contemporary studios. The Robert Schumann Hall, a multifunctional hall offering a sophisticated program running from chamber music to cabaret, is also integrated into the museum.