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Banknotemaniac
Darmstadt is
a 159,878
inhabitants city placed in the southern part of Hesse in Germany (very close to Rhineland-Palatinate). The city is known because of its wonderful Jugendstil architecture and as a science city (Wissenschaftsstadt) home of the university TU Darmstadt, Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (international accelerator facility; previously in Darmstadt it was found the chemical element nº 110, Darmstadtium (Ds)) and the headquarters of the European Space Operations Center.
How do I arrive to Darmstadt?
Darmstadt is very well connected with other cities in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and in Bayern.
- Train: there are often trains to important destinations within Hesse like Langen (aprox. 10 minutes), Bensheim (aprox. 15 minutes), Frankfurt am Main (aprox. 30 minutes), Wiesbaden (aprox. 45 minutes), Hanau (aprox. 50 minutes) or Michelstadt (aprox. 1 hour). There are also trains to destinations in other federal states such as Mainz (aprox. 30 minutes) and Worms (aprox. 55 minutes) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Heidelberg (aprox. 40 minutes) and Mannheim (aprox. 50 minutes) in Baden-Württemberg or Aschaffenburg (aprox. 40 minutes) in Bayern. There are also daily tickets to use both in Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
- Bus: there are buses to many cities in Hesse and neighbouring states such as Frankfurt am Main (aprox. ), Mannheim (aprox. 45 minutes), Heidelberg (aprox. 50 minutes), Cologne (aprox. 2 hours 5 minutes), Karlsruhe (aprox. 2 hours 10 minutes), Würzburg (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes), Stuttgart (aprox. 3 hours 15 minutes) or Göttingen (aprox. 4 hours 30 minutes).
- Car: having a car it can be reached a lot of destinations from Darmstadt like Langen (aprox. 20 minutes), Rüsselsheim am Main (aprox. 25 minutes), Bensheim (aprox. 30 minutes), Frankfurt am Main (aprox. 35 minutes), Hanau (aprox. 35 minutes), Wiesbaden (aprox. 45 minutes) or Michelstadt (aprox. 45 minutes). There are also trains to destinations in other federal states such as Mainz (aprox. 40 minutes) and Worms (aprox. 45 minutes) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Mannheim (aprox. 47 minutes) and Heidelberg (aprox. 50 minutes) in Baden-Württemberg or Aschaffenburg (aprox. 45 minutes) in Bayern.
History
The name Darmstadt first appears towards the end of the 11th century (then as Darmundestat) and it was chartered as a city by the Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian in 1330, at which time it belonged to the counts of Katzenelnbogen, being a secondary residence for the counts. When the house of Katzenelnbogen became extinct the city was passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse and was seat of the ruling landgraves and thereafter of the grand dukes of Hesse. The city grew in population during the 19th century and a polytechnical school was established in 1877 (later becoming TU Darmstadt). In the beginning of the 20th century Darmstadt was an important centre for Jugendstil (German variant of Art Nouveau) and annual architectural competitions led to the building of many architectural treasures of this period. In 1912 the chemist Anton Kollisch first synthesised the chemical MDMA (ecstasy) here.
Darmstadt was the first city in Germany to force Jewish shops to close in early 1933 (shortly after the Nazis took power in Germany) and in 1942, over 3,000 Jews from Darmstadt were first forced into a collection camp located in the Liebigschule, later deported to concentration camps (where most eventually died). Several prominent members of the German resistance movement against the Nazis were citizens of Darmstadt. It was first bombed on 1940 and the old city centre was largely destroyed in a British bombing raid on 1944 (over three-quarters of Darmstadt's inner city was destroyed).
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Darmstadt became home to many technology companies and research institutes (promoting itself as a "city of science" since 1997). It is well known as a high-tech center with important activities in spacecraft operations (like the European Space Operations Center or the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).
Darmstadt was the first city in Germany to force Jewish shops to close in early 1933 (shortly after the Nazis took power in Germany) and in 1942, over 3,000 Jews from Darmstadt were first forced into a collection camp located in the Liebigschule, later deported to concentration camps (where most eventually died). Several prominent members of the German resistance movement against the Nazis were citizens of Darmstadt. It was first bombed on 1940 and the old city centre was largely destroyed in a British bombing raid on 1944 (over three-quarters of Darmstadt's inner city was destroyed).
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Darmstadt became home to many technology companies and research institutes (promoting itself as a "city of science" since 1997). It is well known as a high-tech center with important activities in spacecraft operations (like the European Space Operations Center or the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).
What can I visit in Darmstadt?
The center of Darmstadt is Luisenplatz, a square from the 18th century that has become the center of shoppings in the city, and the area called Mathildenhöhe, a district created in 1899 by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig characteristic for its Jugendstil architecture. Darmstadt Card (9€/ 6€ 2 days/ 1 day) includes the use of all public transport in the city area and discounts to numerous cultural facilities.
These are Darmstadt's main attractions:
Langer Ludwig (every first Sat on every month): statue on a huge sandstone column located right in the city center to pay tribute to Ludwig I (first Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine) in 1841, considered to be Darmstadt's landmark. From its top the visitor can get a beautiful view over Darmstadt.
Darmstadt Palace-Museum -
Darmstadt Palace-Museum (10-13 and 14-17 Tue-Sat, 11-17 Sun; 4€/ 2.50€ adults/ reduced): museum located in the palace of the Grand Dukes of Hesse, former residence and administrative seat of the landgraves and from 1806 to 1919, that was burned down in 1944 and largely restored after it. Today the castle is largely used by the TU Darmstadt and has some of the furnitures, carriages and paintings of the family. There's a combined ticket for Darmstadt Palace-Museum and Grand Ducal Hessian Porcelain Collection (6€/ 4€ adults/ reduced).
The Magpie on the Gallows
by Pieter Brueghel the Elder - Darmstadt Stadtkirche: Lutheran church first mentioned in the 12th century, even though all parts remaining date back from 17th century or later, being one of the oldest church in the original city (after reconstruction after WW2).
- Hesse State Museum (10-18 Tue-Fri, 11-17 Sat-Sun; 6€/ 4€/ free adults/ reduced/ people under 18): museum with an important collection of works of art donated by the ruling family of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. One of its most important collections is about Joseph Beuys, the world's largest coherent complex of works by the artist, The Magpie on the Gallows by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, one of the plaques from the Magdeburg Ivories, a strong collections of Art Nouveau objects from several countries and German, Dutch and Flemish paintings. It also features an important natural history collection with fossils from the nearby Messel pit and a historic American mastodon.
Jugendstilbad - Jugendstilbad: complex of spa and swimming pools built in Jugendstil style by August Buxbaum and inagurated in 1909.
- Pauluskirche: Lutheran church built in the years 1905–1907 based on designs of Friedrich Pützer, administrative seat of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau. The façade follows the Reformarchitektur but includes forms of a castle and elements from Romanesque and Gothic church constructionIts interior is decorated in Jugendstill style following Wiesbaden program.
- Orangerie: small castle designed for the Landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt Ernst Ludwig by the architect Louis Remy de la Fosse between 1719 and 1721, serving as a winter shelter for Sardinian or Sicilian orange trees in the surrounding park. It's now used for concerts and conferences.
Künstlerkolonie Museum and
Darmstadt Russian Orthodox Church - Darmstadt Russian Orthodox Church (10-13 and 14-16 Tue-Sat, 14-16 Sun): historic church in Russian Byzantine style built between 1897-1899 used as a private chapel by the last Tsar of Russia (Nicholas II) whose wife Alexandra was born in Darmstadt. It has the characteristic gold onion domes and was built of Russian stone (some people claim it was built in Russia and brought to Darmstadt by train). Sometimes it's referred as the only church where Nicholas II ever entered and attended outside of Russia.
- Künstlerkolonie Museum (11-18 Tue-Sun; 5€/ 3€ adults/ reduced): museum about the colony of artists of Darmstadt, its exhibitions and the artists of the Jugendstil colony in the times of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig. Each artist is briefly presented biographically and with his work.
It can also be visited the eccentric Hochzeitsturm (10-18 from Mar to Oct; 11-17 Fri-Sun from Nov to Feb; 3€/ 2€ adults/ reduced) from where having nice views of Mathildenhöhe.
Prinz-Georg-Palais - Grand Ducal Hessian Porcelain Collection (10-17 Fri-Sun from Apr to Oct; 4€/ 2€ adults/ reduced): museum founded by the last Grand Duke, Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and the Rhine, that rearranged his porcelain and other ceramic products in the Prinz-Georg-Palais (a Rococo palace built in 1710 under Landgrave Ernst Ludwig). The collection is focused in porcelain from the 19th century with importance of the manufactories in Kelsterbach (supported by the Landgraves of Hessen-Darmstadt) and others like Meißen, Höchst, Nymphenburg, Frankenthal, Vienna, Sèvres and St. Petersburg.
Waldspirale - Waldspirale: eye-catching apartment building designed by Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 2000. It has 105 apartments, more than 1,000 windows and its name means forest spiral, reflected in the sand-coloured façade and the fact that it has a green roof.
- Großer Woog: natural lake that is popular for swimming (especially in summer) and resting, forming an island of peace and seclusion within the center of Darmstadt.
- Rosenhöhe Park: park in the east of Darmstadt (close to Ostbahnhof) founded by Grand Duchess Wilhelmine in the beginning of the 19th century.
It combines a landscape park, orchard meadows, historic buildings, sculptures, burial grounds for Hesse's Grand Ducal family and a wonderful rose garden.
Rosenhöhe Park - European Space Operations Center (guided tours of 1.5 hours; 8€/ 5€ adults/ reduced): main mission control centre for the European Space Agency (ESA), responsible for a range of operations-related activities including ground systems engineering, software development, flight dynamics and navigation, development of mission control tools and techniques and space debris studies.
- Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum (guided tours): museum located in a former station that presents over 200 railway vehicles from all stages of rail history.
The programme consists of guided tours through the vehicle fleet, a collection of historical signals and points and a model of the Main-Neckar railway.
Ludwigsturm - Ludwigshöhe (12-20 Wed-Sun from Apr to Sep; 12-18 Wed-Sun from Oct to Mar): hill located in the south of the neighbourhood Bessungen that offers one of the best views over the city. Here it was built an inn and the tower Ludwigsturm. It also has a small place for food and drinks.
- Only 8 km east from Darmstadt there's the former town of Roßdorf (12,612 inhabitants), now part of the municipality of Darmstadt. It has a well preserved Altstadt and the building that highlights the most of it is Roßdorf Town Hall, established in 1575 in the Frankish framework style.
Frankenstein Castle - In the middle of the forest, 13 km south from Darmstadt, it can be arrived to Frankenstein Castle,
a Burg first mentioned in 948 and whose ruins remaining today date back to the 13th century (expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries) that was owned by the Barons von Frankenstein until 1662. The Baron sold the property to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and there have been claims that the castle may have inspired the Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein. Today it houses a restaurant where medieval events and parties take place from time to time.
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| Wolfsgarten Palace |
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| Stangenpyramide |
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| Urban and Industrial Museum Rüsselsheim |
Where can I eat in Darmstadt?
Darmstadt has also nice places where having a meal or a coffee, mainly located around Marktplatz, such as the cafe Elisabeth (Schulstraße 14), specialised in soups; the cafe Bellevue (Eckhardtstraße 26), the veggie restaurant Mondo DELI (Grafenstraße 31), the restaurant Sitte (Karlstraße 15), the German restaurant City Braustübl (Wilhelminenstraße 31) or the Irish pub An Sibin (Landgraf-Georg-Straße 25).The city is an important place as for the nighlife because of being an university town, having a nice offer of life music bars such as Centralstation (Im Carree 1) or Goldene Krone (Schustergasse 18).
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