It is located in the district of Rhine-Erft, 20 km south of the Cologne city center and at the edge of the Rhineland Nature Park, a famous nature reserve.

From 1567 on, the city of Brühl was the official residence of the Prince Bishops of Cologne.

In the 18th century the Prince Bishop Clemens August replaced a former ruined castle and built the Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces near the city center.

Today, both are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of their outstanding rococo architecture.

Until 1990 Augustusburg Palace was used by the federal government to receive foreign heads of states visiting West Germany.