The Königsallee (; literally "King's Avenue") is an urban boulevard in Düsseldorf, state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Königsallee is noted for both the landscaped canal that runs along its center, as well as for the fashion showrooms and luxury retail stores located along its sides. Nicknamed Kö () by locals, the Königsallee is one of Germany's busiest upscale shopping streets. Location The Königsallee is some 1 km long and lies in the district of Stadtmitte. It stretches from Hofgarten, Düsseldorf's main park, to Carl-Theodor-Straße and Luisenstraße on its Southern end. At Hofgarten, the Königsallee reaches onto Landskrone, a peninsula of the park's lake. Adjacent to Königsallee are the Altstadt, Düsseldorf's old quarter, and Schadowstraße, Germany's shopping street with the highest sales revenues. The canal is some 31 m wide and fed by water from the Düssel, from which the city got its name. The entire boulevard is some wide and may be perceived as an urban esplanade. The Eastern side of Königsallee is entirely commercial, with numerous upmarket flagship stores and block-internal shopping arcades leading to and from the boulevard. Most of the Western side is quieter, given that it predominantly has offices, bank branches and hotels. Cafés and restaurants are located on both sides. History By the end of the 18th century, Düsseldorf was a small Baroque town and capital of the Grand Duchy of Berg. Following the Treaty of Lunéville, the Duke was to have Düsseldorf's fortifications removed, which turned out to give room for a more generous urban plan. This plan included a Classicism esplanade, designed by architect to the court Caspar Anton Huschberger, in co-operation with landscape architect Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe and hydraulic engineer Wilhelm Gottlieb Bauer. The canal and boulevard were completed between 1802 and 1804. Hotel Breidenbacher Hof was opened in 1812; other buildings followed shortly after. The canal which runs through the center of the boulevard is wide and up to deep. The canal is fed by the Düssel, which was diverted to provide the necessary water. Two iron bridges cross the canal. On the suggestion of the landscape architect, Chestnut trees () were planted along the canal and the boulevard was therefore given the name "Kastanienallee" accordingly. After an incident in 1848, when horse manure was thrown at King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, the street was renamed "Königsallee" (meaning King's Avenue) as a gesture of reconciliation. Düsseldorf lost its independence to