Darmstadt Technical University on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse after Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, and Kassel.
Darmstadt holds the official title "City of Science" () as it is a major centre of scientific institutions, universities, and high-technology companies. The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre (ESA ESOC) are located in Darmstadt, as well as Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research, where several chemical elements such as bohrium (1981), meitnerium (1982), hassium (1984), darmstadtium (1994), roentgenium (1994), and copernicium (1996) were discovered. The existence of the following elements was also confirmed at Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research: nihonium (2012), flerovium (2009), moscovium (2012), livermorium (2010), and tennessine (2012). The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) is an international accelerator facility under construction. Darmstadt is also the seat of the world's oldest pharmaceutical company, Merck Group, Merck, which is the city's largest employer.
The Mathildenhöhe, including the Darmstadt Artists' Colony, Darmstadt artists' colony, a major centre of the Jugendstil artistic movement, referring both to the group of artists active in the city in the late 19th and early 20th century, as well as the buildings which they designed, together with the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt, were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021.
Darmstadt was formerly the capital of a sovereign state, the Grand Duchy of Hesse and its successor, the People's State of Hesse, a federal state of Germany. As the capital of an increasingly prosperous duchy, the city gained some international prominence and remains one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. In the 20th century, industry (especially chemicals), as well as large science and electronics (and later, information technology) sectors became increasingly important, and are still a major part of the city's economy. It is also home to the football club SV Darmstadt 98. Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), the wife of Nicholas II of Russia, as well as Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), the wife of Alexander II of Russia, who were related, were born in this city.
(from the 'Graf v. Katzenelnbogen' website, in German. Retrieved 5 January 2008.) When the house of Katzenelnbogen became extinct in 1479, the city was passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse, and was seat of the ruling landgraves (1567–1806) and thereafter (to 1918) of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, grand dukes of Hesse.
The city's population grew during the 19th century, from a little over 10,000, to 72,000 inhabitants. A polytechnical school, which later became a Technical University now known as Darmstadt University of Technology, TU Darmstadt, was established in 1877.
In the early 20th century, Darmstadt was an important centre for the art movement of Jugendstil, the German variant of Art Nouveau. Also during this period, in 1912 the chemist Anton Kollisch, working for the pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, Merck, first synthesised the chemical MDMA (ecstasy) in Darmstadt. Darmstadt's municipal area was extended in 1937 to include the neighbouring localities of Arheilgen and Eberstadt, and in 1938 the city was separated administratively from the surrounding district (''Kreis'').
(from the official city website, in German, less detailed also in English) where most eventually died. In 1944, the city was also the location of a subcamp of the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. Several prominent members of the German resistance movement against the Nazis were citizens of Darmstadt, including Wilhelm Leuschner and Theodor Haubach, both executed for their opposition to Hitler's regime. Darmstadt was first bombed on 30 July 1940, and 34 other air raids would follow before the war's end. The old city centre was largely destroyed in a Bombing of Darmstadt in World War II, British bombing raid on 11/12 September 1944. This attack was an example of "area bombing" using high explosive and incendiary bombs, which combined in that attack to create a firestorm, a self-sustaining combustion process in which winds generated by the fire ensure it continues to burn until everything possible has been consumed. During this attack, an estimated 11,000 to 12,500 of the inhabitants were killed, and 66,000 to 70,000 were left homeless. Over three-quarters of Darmstadt's inner city was destroyed. Post-war rebuilding was done in a relatively plain architectural style, although a number of the historic buildings were rebuilt to their original appearance following the city's capture on 25 March 1945 by the American 4th Armored Division (United States), 4th Armored Division. Today around 30% of Darmstadt consists of buildings from before World War II.
Darmstadt has nine official 'Stadtteile' (boroughs). These are:
* Darmstadt-Arheilgen
* Darmstadt-Bessungen
* Darmstadt-Eberstadt
* Darmstadt-Kranichstein
* Darmstadt-Mitte ("Central Darmstadt")
* Darmstadt-Nord ("North")
* Darmstadt-Ost ("East")
* Darmstadt-West
* Darmstadt-Wixhausen
The Darmstadt city council (''Stadtverordnetenversammlung'') governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021, and the results were as follows:
! colspan=2, Party
! Lead candidate
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)
, align=left, Hildegard Förster-Heldmann
, 1,151,498
, 27.4
, 2.3
, 20
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD)
, align=left, Tim Huß
, 703,686
, 16.7
, 0.5
, 12
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
, align=left, Paul Georg Wandrey
, 654,797
, 15.6
, 2.6
, 11
, 2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left ()
, align=left, Karl-Heinz Böck
, 310,074
, 7.4
, 0.6
, 5
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany (Volt)
, align=left, Nicolas Kämmerer
, 289,023
, 6.9
, New
, 5
, New
, -
, bgcolor=#448581,
, align=left, UFFBASSE
, align=left, Kerstin Lau
, 269,301
, 6.4
, 1.3
, 5
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP)
, align=left, Leif Blum
, 234,121
, 5.6
, 0.3
, 4
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD)
, align=left, Günter Zabel
, 191,982
, 4.6
, 4.6
, 3
, 4
, -
, bgcolor=#A037A0,
, align=left, UWiGA
, align=left, Erich Bauer
, 130,867
, 3.1
, 0.6
, 2
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI)
, align=left, Holger Eisenblätter
, 90,254
, 2.1
, 1.8
, 2
, 2
, -
, bgcolor=#556B2F,
, align=left, Voters' Association of Darmstadt (WGD)
, align=left, Falk Neumann
, 85,320
, 2.0
, New
, 1
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Voters (FW)
, align=left, Harald Uhl
, 79,293
, 1.9
, New
, 1
, New
, -
,
, align=left, Take Part in Darmstadt
, align=left, Dorothea Mondry
, 13,680
, 0.3
, New
, 0
, New
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 60,815
! 96.6
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 2,141
! 3.4
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 62,956
! 100.0
!
! 71
! ±0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 115,119
! 54.7
! 6.9
!
!
, -
, colspan=8, Source
Statistics Hesse
Darmstadt is connected to the rest of Germany and Europe through its main railway station, Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof, which is located in the western part of the city centre. The station is part of the Intercity-Express network and also served by other long-distance trains. It is a busy station with 12 platforms and serves as a transportation hub for the southern Hesse/Odenwald region.
The extensive public transport system of Darmstadt is integrated in the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, RMV (the transportation authority of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhein-Main Metropolitan Area). The backbone of public transport in Darmstadt is the Trams in Darmstadt, tram system with 10 lines. Local bus lines also serve all parts of the city and the city is served by regional bus lines.
Darmstadt can be easily accessed from around the world via Frankfurt Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt am Main'') which is located north of central Darmstadt and connected to it via Autobahn 5, S-Bahn, several bus lines and a direct express bus-link ("''Airliner''"). The airport ranks among the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic and is the world's busiest airports by cargo traffic, second-busiest airport by cargo traffic in Europe. The airport also serves as the main hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa.
* Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport (''Flugplatz Frankfurt-Egelsbach'') is a busy general aviation airport located 5 km north of Darmstadt, near the town of Egelsbach.
* Frankfurt Hahn Airport
Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn'') is located far outside the Frankfurt Metro Area, approximately to the west in Lautzenhausen (Rhineland-Palatinate). Hahn Airport is a major base for low-cost carrier Ryanair. This airport can only be reached by car or bus.
Darmstadt was the capital of an independent country (the Grand Duchy of Hesse) until 1871 and the capital of the German state of Hesse until 1945. It is due to its past as a capital city that it has many architectural testimonies of this period. Many of its major architectural landmarks were created by Georg Moller who was appointed the court master builder of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
The Residential Palace Darmstadt () is located in the city centre. It was the residence of the counts of Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, later as Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Dukes of Hesse by the grace of Napoleon. The rulers of Hesse also owned Jagdschloss Kranichstein, a hunting lodge in Kranichstein which is a nowadays used as a five star hotel. The most famous castle in the Darmstadt region is Frankenstein Castle due to claims that the real castle may have had an influence on Mary Shelley's decision to choose the name Frankenstein for her monster-creating scientist. This castle dates back to the 13th century, but it was acquired by the counts of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1662.
Darmstadt has a rich tradition in modern architecture. After 1945 several ''"Meisterbauten"'' (''Masterful Architectonic Creations'') were built that set standards for modern architecture. These buildings still exist and are used for various public and private purposes. In the late 1990s the Waldspirale ('Forest Spiral') was built, a residential complex by Austrian Hundertwasser, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. As an almost Surrealism, surreal building, it is internationally famous for its almost absolute rejection of rectangular forms, down to every window having a different shape, the style being a trademark of Hundertwasser's work. Hundertwasser died before the Waldspirale was finished.
The ''Luisenplatz'', the central square of the city, forms the centre of the city and is the main public transport hub. In 1844 the ''Ludwigsäule'' (called ''Langer Lui'', meaning ''Long Ludwig''), a 33-metre (108 ft) column commemorating Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Ludwig I, first Grand Duke of Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse, was placed in the middle of the square. While the column still stands, the square is today surrounded by mostly modern buildings. Other important squares are the ''Marktplatz'' (see image) near the old city hall and the ''Sabaisplatz'' at the ''Mathildenhöhe''.
The Protestant Stadtkirche Darmstadt built in 1369, is in the pedestrian zone of the downtown city center, next to the historic Hotel Bockshaut. The church has Gothic architecture, gothic elements along with renaissance and baroque, it houses the Royal family, royal crypt. Hotel Bockshaut was built in 1580 for a church presbytery. The most important Catholic Church is ''St. Ludwig'' in central Darmstadt.
Among the museums in Darmstadt the most important are the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesmuseum (Hessian State Museum), the Porcelain Museum (exhibition of the ducal porcelain), the Schlossmuseum (Palace Museum exhibiting the ducal residence and possessions), the Kunsthalle Darmstadt (exhibitions of modern art), the exhibition centre Mathildenhöhe, and the Museum Künstlerkolonie (Art Nouveau museum).
The Darmstadt Palace Museum collection showcases regional and royal history from the 16th until the early 20th Century. The Palace Museum consists of 16 showrooms.
The Jazz-Institut Darmstadt is Germany's largest publicly accessible jazz archive.
The Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, harboring one of the world's largest collections of post-war sheet music, also hosts the biennial Darmstadt New Music Summer School, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, a summer school in contemporary classical music founded by Wolfgang Steinecke. A large number of avant-garde composers have attended and given lectures there, including Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Milton Babbitt, Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono (composer), Luigi Nono, John Cage, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, and Helmut Lachenmann.
The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung provides writers and scholars with a place to research the German language. The academy's annual Georg Büchner Prize, named in memory of Georg Büchner, is considered the most prestigious literary award for writers of German language.
Darmstadt is located in the Upper Rhine Plain (German: Oberrheinische Tiefebene), a major rift, about 350 km (217 mi) long and on average 50 km (31 mi) wide, between the cities of Frankfurt in the north and Mannheim in the south. Darmstadt's southeastern boroughs are located in the spurs of the Odenwald, a low mountain range in Southern Hesse between the Main and Neckar rivers.
The Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences () has the highest number of industrial linkage programs, compared to the rest of the universities of applied sciences. The roots of University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt dates back to 1876. However, it has not emerged as a separate institution before 1971. As of 2017 it was the largest University of Applied Sciences in the State of Hesse, with about 16,000 students. It offers courses in architecture, chemical engineering, materials science, civil engineering, computer science, design, economics, electrical engineering and information technology, mathematics and science, mechanical engineering, media (including information science and engineering), plastics engineering, social and cultural studies, and several social sciences.
* Christoph Graupner (1683–1760), composer and Hofkapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1711 to 1754
* Johann Jacob Dillenius (1684–1747), botanist
* Johann Heinrich Merck (1741–1791), author and critic
* Johann Christian Felix Baehr (1798–1872), philologist
* Johann Jakob Kaup (1803–1873), naturalist and proponent of natural philosophy
* Justus von Liebig, Justus Freiherr von Liebig (1803–1873), chemist, contributed to Agricultural chemistry, agricultural and Biochemistry, biological chemistry, founder of organic chemistry
* Georg Gottfried Gervinus (1805–1871), literary and political historian
* Friedrich von Flotow (1812–1883), opera composer, died in Darmstadt
* Georg Büchner (1813–1837), dramatist, poet and revolutionist
* Carl Amand Mangold (1813–1889), composer and conductor
* Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen (1815–1881), Bavarian general
* Ludwig Büchner (1824–1899), philosopher, physiologist and physician; exponent of scientific materialism
* Friedrich August Kekulé (1829–1896), organic chemistry, organic chemist; founded the theory of chemical structure
* Eugen Bracht (1842–1921), landscape painter
* Georg von Hertling (1843–1919), politician
* Benjamin Altheimer (1850–1938), American banker and philanthropist
* Friedrich Dingeldey (1859–1939), German mathematician
* Karl Muck (1859–1940), conductor
* Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse (1868–1937), last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
* Karl Wolfskehl (1869–1948), poet, editor and translator
* Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Alexandra Feodorovna (1872–1918), Russian Empress, born as Alix of Hesse, married Nicholas II of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
* Christian Stock (1884–1967), politician
* Anton Köllisch (1888–1916), chemist who first synthesized MDMA (known as "ecstasy")
* Beno Gutenberg (1889–1960), German-American seismologist
* Karl Plagge (1897–1957), Wehrmacht officer, saved Lithuanian Jews from extermination during The Holocaust, Righteous among the Nations
* Karl-Otto Koch (1897–1945), commandant of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald concentration camp, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Sachsenhausen
* Josef Ganz (1898–1967), automotive engineer and pioneer, studied at the Technical University of Darmstadt
* Heinrich von Brentano (1904–1964), Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1955 to 1961
* Hans Möser (1906–1948), Nazi SS concentration camp officer executed for war crimes
* Walter Schmiele (1909–1998), author and translator
* Zinaida Petrovna Ziberova (born 1909), composer
* Arno Schmidt (1914–1979), author and translator
* Hans Stark (1921–1991), head of the admissions detail at Auschwitz-II Birkenau of Auschwitz concentration camp
* Georg Stern (1921–1980), operatic singer
* Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007), leading 20th-century electronic composer
* Günter Strack (1929–1999), actor
* Maciej Łukaszczyk (1934–2014), Polish pianist at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, founder and president of the Chopin organisation, porter of the Polish and German order
* Helmut Markwort (born 1936), journalist
* Annegret Soltau (born 1946), artist
* Cord Meijering (born 1955), Dutch composer
* Christoph Lanz (born 1959), journalist
* Volker Weidermann (born 1969), writer and journalist
*Florika Fink-Hooijer (born 1962), prominent European civil servant
* Nina Gerhard (born 1974), singer
* Karola Obermüller (born 1977), composer
* Björn Bürger (born 1985), operatic baritone
Darmstadt is Sister city, twinned with:
* Alkmaar, Netherlands (1958)
* Brescia, Italy (1991)
* Bursa, Turkey (1971)
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England, UK (1959)
* Freiberg, Germany (1990)
* Graz, Austria (1968)
* Saanen, Gstaad (Saanen), Switzerland (1991)
* Gyönk, Hungary (1990)
* Liepāja, Latvia (1993)
* Logroño, Spain (2002)
* Nahariya, Israel (2023)
* Płock, Poland (1988)
* San Antonio, United States (2017)
* Szeged, Hungary (1990)
* Trondheim, Norway (1968)
* Troyes, France (1958)
* Uzhhorod, Ukraine (1992)
Discover Darmstadt – City Tourist Website
* {{Authority control Darmstadt, Capitals of former nations Merck Group Odenwald Holocaust locations in Germany Urban districts of Hesse Darmstadt (region)
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse after Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, and Kassel.
Darmstadt holds the official title "City of Science" () as it is a major centre of scientific institutions, universities, and high-technology companies. The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre (ESA ESOC) are located in Darmstadt, as well as Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research, where several chemical elements such as bohrium (1981), meitnerium (1982), hassium (1984), darmstadtium (1994), roentgenium (1994), and copernicium (1996) were discovered. The existence of the following elements was also confirmed at Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research: nihonium (2012), flerovium (2009), moscovium (2012), livermorium (2010), and tennessine (2012). The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) is an international accelerator facility under construction. Darmstadt is also the seat of the world's oldest pharmaceutical company, Merck Group, Merck, which is the city's largest employer.
The Mathildenhöhe, including the Darmstadt Artists' Colony, Darmstadt artists' colony, a major centre of the Jugendstil artistic movement, referring both to the group of artists active in the city in the late 19th and early 20th century, as well as the buildings which they designed, together with the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt, were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021.
Darmstadt was formerly the capital of a sovereign state, the Grand Duchy of Hesse and its successor, the People's State of Hesse, a federal state of Germany. As the capital of an increasingly prosperous duchy, the city gained some international prominence and remains one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. In the 20th century, industry (especially chemicals), as well as large science and electronics (and later, information technology) sectors became increasingly important, and are still a major part of the city's economy. It is also home to the football club SV Darmstadt 98. Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), the wife of Nicholas II of Russia, as well as Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), the wife of Alexander II of Russia, who were related, were born in this city.
History
Origins
The name Darmstadt first appears towards the end of the 11th century, then as ''Darmundestat''. Darmstadt was chartered as a city by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Ludwig the Bavarian in 1330, at which time it belonged to the counts of County of Katzenelnbogen, Katzenelnbogen. The city, then called ''Darmstait'', became a secondary residence for the counts, with a small castle established at the site of the current, much larger edifice.Nebenresidenz Darmstadt (darmstait)(from the 'Graf v. Katzenelnbogen' website, in German. Retrieved 5 January 2008.) When the house of Katzenelnbogen became extinct in 1479, the city was passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse, and was seat of the ruling landgraves (1567–1806) and thereafter (to 1918) of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, grand dukes of Hesse.
Industrial age
The city's population grew during the 19th century, from a little over 10,000, to 72,000 inhabitants. A polytechnical school, which later became a Technical University now known as Darmstadt University of Technology, TU Darmstadt, was established in 1877.
In the early 20th century, Darmstadt was an important centre for the art movement of Jugendstil, the German variant of Art Nouveau. Also during this period, in 1912 the chemist Anton Kollisch, working for the pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, Merck, first synthesised the chemical MDMA (ecstasy) in Darmstadt. Darmstadt's municipal area was extended in 1937 to include the neighbouring localities of Arheilgen and Eberstadt, and in 1938 the city was separated administratively from the surrounding district (''Kreis'').
Nazi Germany
Darmstadt was the first city in Germany to force Jewish shops to close in early 1933, shortly after the Nazis took power in Germany. The shops were only closed for one day, for "endangering communal order and tranquility". In 1942, over 3,000 Jews from Darmstadt were first forced into a collection camp located in the Liebigschule, and later deported to Nazi concentration camps, concentration campsDarmstädter Stadtgeschichte 20. Jahrhundert(from the official city website, in German, less detailed also in English) where most eventually died. In 1944, the city was also the location of a subcamp of the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. Several prominent members of the German resistance movement against the Nazis were citizens of Darmstadt, including Wilhelm Leuschner and Theodor Haubach, both executed for their opposition to Hitler's regime. Darmstadt was first bombed on 30 July 1940, and 34 other air raids would follow before the war's end. The old city centre was largely destroyed in a Bombing of Darmstadt in World War II, British bombing raid on 11/12 September 1944. This attack was an example of "area bombing" using high explosive and incendiary bombs, which combined in that attack to create a firestorm, a self-sustaining combustion process in which winds generated by the fire ensure it continues to burn until everything possible has been consumed. During this attack, an estimated 11,000 to 12,500 of the inhabitants were killed, and 66,000 to 70,000 were left homeless. Over three-quarters of Darmstadt's inner city was destroyed. Post-war rebuilding was done in a relatively plain architectural style, although a number of the historic buildings were rebuilt to their original appearance following the city's capture on 25 March 1945 by the American 4th Armored Division (United States), 4th Armored Division. Today around 30% of Darmstadt consists of buildings from before World War II.
Post–World War II
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Darmstadt became home to many technology companies and research institutes, and has been promoting itself as a "city of science" since 1997. It is well known as a high-tech centre in the vicinity of Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, with important activities in spacecraft operations (the European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), chemistry, pharmacy, information technology, biotechnology, telecommunications (substantial Deutsche Telekom presence) and mechatronics. In 2000, its region also scored Rank 3 amongst 97 German regions in the ''WirtschaftsWoche'' test ranking Germany's high-tech regions. The roots of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences goes back to 1876 along with Technische Universität Darmstadt (the first electrical engineering chair and inventions fame), when both these Universities were an integrated entities, a need for a separate industry based research educational institution was felt in the early 1930s, finally University of Applied sciences emerged as a separate industry based research educational institution in 1971 and is the largest Fachhochschule, University of Applied Sciences in Hesse (German: Hessen) with about 16,500 students. The Darmstadt University of Technology, TU Darmstadt is one of the important technical institutes in Germany and is well known for its research and teaching in the Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering disciplines. Together with other tertiary institutions, the TU is responsible for the large student population of the city, which stood at 33,547 in 2004.Boroughs
Darmstadt has nine official 'Stadtteile' (boroughs). These are:
* Darmstadt-Arheilgen
* Darmstadt-Bessungen
* Darmstadt-Eberstadt
* Darmstadt-Kranichstein
* Darmstadt-Mitte ("Central Darmstadt")
* Darmstadt-Nord ("North")
* Darmstadt-Ost ("East")
* Darmstadt-West
* Darmstadt-Wixhausen
Population development
Politics
Mayor
The current mayor of Darmstadt is Hanno Benz of SPD, who was elected in 2023. The following is a list of mayors since 1945:City council
The Darmstadt city council (''Stadtverordnetenversammlung'') governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021, and the results were as follows:
! colspan=2, Party
! Lead candidate
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)
, align=left, Hildegard Förster-Heldmann
, 1,151,498
, 27.4
, 2.3
, 20
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD)
, align=left, Tim Huß
, 703,686
, 16.7
, 0.5
, 12
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
, align=left, Paul Georg Wandrey
, 654,797
, 15.6
, 2.6
, 11
, 2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left ()
, align=left, Karl-Heinz Böck
, 310,074
, 7.4
, 0.6
, 5
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany (Volt)
, align=left, Nicolas Kämmerer
, 289,023
, 6.9
, New
, 5
, New
, -
, bgcolor=#448581,
, align=left, UFFBASSE
, align=left, Kerstin Lau
, 269,301
, 6.4
, 1.3
, 5
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP)
, align=left, Leif Blum
, 234,121
, 5.6
, 0.3
, 4
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD)
, align=left, Günter Zabel
, 191,982
, 4.6
, 4.6
, 3
, 4
, -
, bgcolor=#A037A0,
, align=left, UWiGA
, align=left, Erich Bauer
, 130,867
, 3.1
, 0.6
, 2
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI)
, align=left, Holger Eisenblätter
, 90,254
, 2.1
, 1.8
, 2
, 2
, -
, bgcolor=#556B2F,
, align=left, Voters' Association of Darmstadt (WGD)
, align=left, Falk Neumann
, 85,320
, 2.0
, New
, 1
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Free Voters (FW)
, align=left, Harald Uhl
, 79,293
, 1.9
, New
, 1
, New
, -
,
, align=left, Take Part in Darmstadt
, align=left, Dorothea Mondry
, 13,680
, 0.3
, New
, 0
, New
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 60,815
! 96.6
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 2,141
! 3.4
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 62,956
! 100.0
!
! 71
! ±0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 115,119
! 54.7
! 6.9
!
!
, -
, colspan=8, SourceStatistics Hesse
Transport
Roads
Darmstadt is connected to a number of major roads, including two Autobahnen (Bundesautobahn 5 and Bundesautobahn 67). The main road passing west–east is the Bundesstraße 26, the Bundesstraße 3 runs north–south. The rural areas east of the city in the Odenwald are accessed by several secondary roads.National rail links
Darmstadt is connected to the rest of Germany and Europe through its main railway station, Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof, which is located in the western part of the city centre. The station is part of the Intercity-Express network and also served by other long-distance trains. It is a busy station with 12 platforms and serves as a transportation hub for the southern Hesse/Odenwald region.
Regional rail links
Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof is the terminus of S6 (Rhine-Main S-Bahn), S6 of the Rhine-Main S-Bahn, which connects the city to Frankfurt. Within Darmstadt the S6 also stops at stations in Darmstadt-Arheilgen and Darmstadt-Wixhausen. Regional trains also connect six secondary railway stations within Darmstadt, and stations in the surrounding region, with Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.Public transport in Darmstadt
The extensive public transport system of Darmstadt is integrated in the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, RMV (the transportation authority of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhein-Main Metropolitan Area). The backbone of public transport in Darmstadt is the Trams in Darmstadt, tram system with 10 lines. Local bus lines also serve all parts of the city and the city is served by regional bus lines.
Airports
The historically important local airfield Griesheim Airport, August Euler Airfield is closed to aviation at large, being reserved for the use of the Technische Universität Darmstadt. * Frankfurt International Airport
Darmstadt can be easily accessed from around the world via Frankfurt Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt am Main'') which is located north of central Darmstadt and connected to it via Autobahn 5, S-Bahn, several bus lines and a direct express bus-link ("''Airliner''"). The airport ranks among the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic and is the world's busiest airports by cargo traffic, second-busiest airport by cargo traffic in Europe. The airport also serves as the main hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa.
* Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport (''Flugplatz Frankfurt-Egelsbach'') is a busy general aviation airport located 5 km north of Darmstadt, near the town of Egelsbach.
* Frankfurt Hahn Airport
Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport (''Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn'') is located far outside the Frankfurt Metro Area, approximately to the west in Lautzenhausen (Rhineland-Palatinate). Hahn Airport is a major base for low-cost carrier Ryanair. This airport can only be reached by car or bus.
National coach services
Darmstadt is served by several national and European bus links which connect Darmstadt with other German and European cities.Parks, architecture, and attractions
Castles and historical buildings
Darmstadt was the capital of an independent country (the Grand Duchy of Hesse) until 1871 and the capital of the German state of Hesse until 1945. It is due to its past as a capital city that it has many architectural testimonies of this period. Many of its major architectural landmarks were created by Georg Moller who was appointed the court master builder of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
The Residential Palace Darmstadt () is located in the city centre. It was the residence of the counts of Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, later as Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Dukes of Hesse by the grace of Napoleon. The rulers of Hesse also owned Jagdschloss Kranichstein, a hunting lodge in Kranichstein which is a nowadays used as a five star hotel. The most famous castle in the Darmstadt region is Frankenstein Castle due to claims that the real castle may have had an influence on Mary Shelley's decision to choose the name Frankenstein for her monster-creating scientist. This castle dates back to the 13th century, but it was acquired by the counts of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1662.
Russian Chapel
The last ruling Grand Duke of Hesse, Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, Ernst Ludwig was a grandson of Queen Victoria and brother to Alexandra of Hesse, Empress Alexandra of Russian Empire, Russia. The architecture of Darmstadt has been influenced by British and Russian imperial architecture with many examples still existing, such as the Luisenplatz with its grand-ducal column, the old Hessian State Theatre and the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt. The Russian Chapel is a Russian orthodox church which is still in use. It was built and used as a private chapel by the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, whose wife Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse, Alexandra was born in Darmstadt. Although Russian orthodox churches also exist in other cities outside Russia, the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt was the only official Russian church used by the Tsar outside the Russian Empire. It is said that the chapel was built on Russian soil that was brought to Darmstadt exclusively for the purpose of building the Tsar's private chapel on it. by Leon Benois. The Russian church, St. Mary Magdalene Chapel, is named in honor of the patron saint of Tsar Nicholas' mother and was built of Russian stone on Russian soil brought to Darmstadt by train. It was used by the Russian imperial family and court during regular visits to the Tsarina's brother and family in Darmstadt.Modern architecture
Darmstadt has a rich tradition in modern architecture. After 1945 several ''"Meisterbauten"'' (''Masterful Architectonic Creations'') were built that set standards for modern architecture. These buildings still exist and are used for various public and private purposes. In the late 1990s the Waldspirale ('Forest Spiral') was built, a residential complex by Austrian Hundertwasser, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. As an almost Surrealism, surreal building, it is internationally famous for its almost absolute rejection of rectangular forms, down to every window having a different shape, the style being a trademark of Hundertwasser's work. Hundertwasser died before the Waldspirale was finished.
Art Nouveau
Darmstadt was a centre of the Art Nouveau, Art Nouveau movement. Surviving examples of the Jugendstil period include the Rosenhöhe, a landscaped English-style rose garden from the 19th century, recently renovated and replanted, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mathildenhöhe, with the ''Hochzeitsturm'' ('Wedding tower', also commonly known as the 'Five-Finger-Tower') by Joseph Maria Olbrich, the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt and large exhibition halls as well as many private villas built by Jugendstil architects who had settled in Darmstadt. German Art Nouveau is commonly known by its German name, Jugendstil. The name is taken from the artistic journal, Die Jugend, which was published in Munich and which espoused the new artistic movement. It was founded in 1896 by Georg Hirth (Hirth remained editor until his death in 1916, and the magazine continued to be published until 1940). The magazine was instrumental in promoting the style in Germany. As a result, its name was adopted as the most common German-language term for the style: Jugendstil ("young style"). Although, during the early 20th century, the word was applied to only two-dimensional examples of the graphic arts, especially the forms of organic typography and graphic design found in and influenced by German magazines like Jugend, Pan, and Simplicissimus, it is now applied to more general manifestations of Art Nouveau visual arts in Germany, the Netherlands, the Baltic states, and Nordic countries. The two main centres for Jugendstil art in Germany were Munich and Darmstadt.Squares
The ''Luisenplatz'', the central square of the city, forms the centre of the city and is the main public transport hub. In 1844 the ''Ludwigsäule'' (called ''Langer Lui'', meaning ''Long Ludwig''), a 33-metre (108 ft) column commemorating Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Ludwig I, first Grand Duke of Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse, was placed in the middle of the square. While the column still stands, the square is today surrounded by mostly modern buildings. Other important squares are the ''Marktplatz'' (see image) near the old city hall and the ''Sabaisplatz'' at the ''Mathildenhöhe''.
Parks
The city has a high density of parks. Among the most important parks are the English style ''Herrngarten'' in central Darmstadt. In former times it was part of the Royal Gardens used exclusively by the dukes of Darmstadt. Today it is a public park, heavily used in every season of the year. Other important parks are the French style parks ''Prinz-Georgs-Garten'' and Orangerie (Darmstadt), Orangerie, the modern style ''Bürgerpark'' ("People's Park") in northern Darmstadt and the mystical Rosenhöhe Park ("Rose Heights"), which also serves as the cemetery for the grand dukes and their immediate family, with two impressive mausoleum buildings (the Old Mausoleum and New Mausoleum) standing within it. The Botanischer Garten der TU Darmstadt, ''Botanischer Garten'' in eastern Darmstadt is a botanical garden maintained by the Technische Universität Darmstadt with a fine collection of rare plants and trees.Churches
The Protestant Stadtkirche Darmstadt built in 1369, is in the pedestrian zone of the downtown city center, next to the historic Hotel Bockshaut. The church has Gothic architecture, gothic elements along with renaissance and baroque, it houses the Royal family, royal crypt. Hotel Bockshaut was built in 1580 for a church presbytery. The most important Catholic Church is ''St. Ludwig'' in central Darmstadt.
Festivals
Every year on the first weekend of July the Heinerfest festival is held in the streets surrounding the old ducal palace. It is a traditional German festival with music acts, beer halls, amusement rides and booths selling trinkets and food. The Schlossgrabenfest, better known as the Stage Groove Festival, is live music-oriented and is held every year in May. These two festivals attract 700,000 and 400,000 visitors respectively.Culture
Darmstadt has a rich cultural heritage. The Staatstheater Darmstadt dates back to the year 1711. The present building has been in use since 1972 and has three halls which can be used independently. The "Grand Hall" (Großes Haus) provides seats for 956 people and serves as Darmstadt's opera house. The "Small Hall" (Kleines Haus) is mostly used for plays and dance and has 482 seats. A separate small hall (Kammerspiele), with 120 seats, is used for chamber plays.
Among the museums in Darmstadt the most important are the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesmuseum (Hessian State Museum), the Porcelain Museum (exhibition of the ducal porcelain), the Schlossmuseum (Palace Museum exhibiting the ducal residence and possessions), the Kunsthalle Darmstadt (exhibitions of modern art), the exhibition centre Mathildenhöhe, and the Museum Künstlerkolonie (Art Nouveau museum).
The Darmstadt Palace Museum collection showcases regional and royal history from the 16th until the early 20th Century. The Palace Museum consists of 16 showrooms.
The Jazz-Institut Darmstadt is Germany's largest publicly accessible jazz archive.
The Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, harboring one of the world's largest collections of post-war sheet music, also hosts the biennial Darmstadt New Music Summer School, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, a summer school in contemporary classical music founded by Wolfgang Steinecke. A large number of avant-garde composers have attended and given lectures there, including Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Milton Babbitt, Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono (composer), Luigi Nono, John Cage, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, and Helmut Lachenmann.
The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung provides writers and scholars with a place to research the German language. The academy's annual Georg Büchner Prize, named in memory of Georg Büchner, is considered the most prestigious literary award for writers of German language.
Geography
Darmstadt is located in the Upper Rhine Plain (German: Oberrheinische Tiefebene), a major rift, about 350 km (217 mi) long and on average 50 km (31 mi) wide, between the cities of Frankfurt in the north and Mannheim in the south. Darmstadt's southeastern boroughs are located in the spurs of the Odenwald, a low mountain range in Southern Hesse between the Main and Neckar rivers.
Climate
Southern Hesse is well known for its mild climate which allows winegrowing on a large scale in the region south of Darmstadt. The weather is often volatile with the summers being warm and humid with frequent thunderstorms, the winters mostly relatively mild with frequent periods of high fog. Snowfall is most likely in January and February, but mild winters without considerable snowfall can occur. The Darmstadt weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Highest Temperature on 7 August 2015. * Warmest Minimum on 5 July 1957. * Coldest Maximum on 1 February 1956. * Lowest Temperature on 19 January 1940. * Highest Daily Precipitation on 1 June 1961. * Wettest Month in August 1968. * Wettest Year in 1965. * Driest Year in 1959. * Earliest Snowfall: 27 October 1950. * Latest Snowfall: 19 April 1969.Note
Education
Schools
The City of Darmstadt offers students a broad variety of public primary, secondary and tertiary schools. Besides them private schools exist, e.g. the catholic secondary school ''Edith-Stein-Schule'', the Adventists' ''Schulzentrum Marienhöhe'', an anthroposophic Waldorf school, ''Waldorf School'', a ''Comenius'' ''School'' and other faith based private schools.Universities
TU Darmstadt
The Technical University of Darmstadt (), commonly referred to as TU Darmstadt, is a prestigious research university in Germany. It was founded in 1877 and received the right to award doctorates in 1899. In 1882 it was the first university in the world to set up a chair in electrical engineering, in 1883 the first faculty for electrical engineering was founded there. The university is organized in 13 departments and 5 fields of study, which all together offer about 100 courses of studies. The fields of study offer interdisciplinary degree courses in which students take lectures in multiple departments. The university, as its title suggests, offers degree courses in the fields of electrical, mechanical and civil engineering, architecture, computer science, mathematics and the natural sciences. It also offers courses in economics, law, history, politics, sociology, psychology, sport science and linguistics. It also offers degree courses for teaching positions at German vocational schools and Gymnasiums.Hochschule Darmstadt
The Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences () has the highest number of industrial linkage programs, compared to the rest of the universities of applied sciences. The roots of University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt dates back to 1876. However, it has not emerged as a separate institution before 1971. As of 2017 it was the largest University of Applied Sciences in the State of Hesse, with about 16,000 students. It offers courses in architecture, chemical engineering, materials science, civil engineering, computer science, design, economics, electrical engineering and information technology, mathematics and science, mechanical engineering, media (including information science and engineering), plastics engineering, social and cultural studies, and several social sciences.
EHD Darmstadt
The Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt (EHD) is an officially recognised and Church-sponsored University. The sponsors are the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau, the Protestant Church of Kurhesse-Waldeck and the social welfare organisation of both Hessian Protestant Churches, the Diakonie Hesse. The EHD has approximately 1,700 students, 40 professors and 10 scientific employees and about 100 visiting lecturers every semester.Sport
Football
The city's main professional club is the association football, football club SV Darmstadt 98, who play at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor. Other, amateur football clubs are 1. FCA Darmstadt and Rot-Weiß Darmstadt.Ice hockey
The Darmstadt Dukes (Eissportclub Darmstadt Dukes) is an ice hockey club. Their mens`s team is playing in the Hessenliga.American football
The city is home to the Darmstadt Diamonds an american football team.Institutions
Technology
Darmstadt is home to many research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer IGD, Fraunhofer LBF, ) and the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI, "Society for heavy ion Research"), which operates a particle accelerator in northern Darmstadt. The GSI, amongst other elements, discovered the chemical element darmstadtium (atomic number: 110), named after the city in 2003. This makes Darmstadt one of List of chemical elements named after places, several cities with elements named after them. Various other elements, including meitnerium (atomic number: 109) (1982), hassium (atomic number: 108) (1984), roentgenium (atomic number: 111) (1994) and copernicium (atomic number: 112) (1996) were also synthesized in the Darmstadt facility. The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) of the European Space Agency is located in Darmstadt. From here, various deep-space exploration spacecraft and Earth-orbiting satellites are operated for the purposes of scientific research, and technology development and demonstration. EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, operates the principal European meteorological satellites from its headquarters, including the first and second generations of Meteosat geostationary satellites, and the polar-orbiting Metop series. Darmstadt is a centre for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, with Merck, Röhm and Carl Schenck, Schenck RoTec (part of The Dürr Group) having their main plants and centres here. Darmstadt is also a centre for the IT and telecommunications industry, with companies like Software AG, T-Systems (laboratories in Darmstadt) and Deutsche Telekom (laboratories in Darmstadt). Athene (research center), ATHENE, formerly Center for Research in Security and Privacy (CRISP), is the national research center for Computer security, IT security and privacy in Germany and the largest research center for Computer security, IT security in Europe. The research center is located in Darmstadt and deals with key issues of IT security in the digitization of government, business and society. The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence has a laboratory in Darmstadt. The (hessian.AI) has its headquarters in Darmstadt.United States military presence
U.S. forces entered the city of Darmstadt on 25 March 1945. At the end of World War II, Darmstadt was among the 112 communities where U.S. forces were stationed. Early units stationed here included elements of the U.S. Constabulary, Air Force units and a Quartermaster School. Over the years, the U.S. military community Darmstadt – under a variety of designations such as the 440th Signal Battalion, served as home for thousands of American soldiers and their families. It included six principal installations in Darmstadt and nearby Babenhausen, Hesse, Babenhausen, Griesheim, Hesse, Griesheim and Münster, Hesse, Münster, plus several housing areas, an airfield and a large number of smaller facilities as far away as Bensheim and Aschaffenburg. The military newspaper European ''Stars and Stripes (newspaper), Stars and Stripes'' also had its headquarters there. As of 1993, the Darmstadt military community also assumed responsibility for the remaining U.S. Army facilities in the Frankfurt-am-Main, Frankfurt area. As part of the U.S. Army's ongoing transformation in Germany, the Darmstadt military community, by then designated U.S. Army Garrison Darmstadt, inactivated on 30 September 2008. Even after the garrison inactivation, however, there is still one unit active in Darmstadt: The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade (United States), 66th Military Intelligence Group at the Dagger Complex on Eberstädter Weg. It draws its support from the nearby U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden. The U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's website mentions the unit still being active in Darmstadt, and a Marine Corps company being stationed there as well. With the exception of Dagger Complex, all remaining US installations are now empty and closed to the public, pending property disposal by the German authorities.Tourist sights in Darmstadt
City
* Darmstadt Artists' Colony, Mathildenhöhe with the Art Nouveau Museum ** Wedding Tower (''Hochzeitsturm'') at Sabaisplatz ** Russian Chapel in Darmstadt, The former private chapel of the last Tsar of Russia * Staatstheater Darmstadt, State Theatre and Opera House * Waldspirale Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Hundertwasser Building * City Center with Luisenplatz, the Residential Palace and the Market Square * Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof, Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station) in Art Nouveau style * Parks ** Herrngarten Park ** Botanischer Garten Darmstadt, Botanical Garden (''Botanischer Garten'') ** Vortex Garten, Vortex Garden ** Park Rosenhöhe (Rose Heights Park) with the Dukal Cemetery * Porcelain Museum at Schlossgartenplatz * St. Ludwig Church * Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesmuseum * Haus der Geschichte (House of History, former ) * Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum, Train Museum Kranichstein * Bessungen old townRegion
* Odenwald * Bergstraße Route, Bergstrasse * Vineyards at Zwingenberg, Hesse, Zwingenberg * Frankenstein Castle * Messel Pit Fossil Site * MelibokusNotable people
* Christoph Graupner (1683–1760), composer and Hofkapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1711 to 1754
* Johann Jacob Dillenius (1684–1747), botanist
* Johann Heinrich Merck (1741–1791), author and critic
* Johann Christian Felix Baehr (1798–1872), philologist
* Johann Jakob Kaup (1803–1873), naturalist and proponent of natural philosophy
* Justus von Liebig, Justus Freiherr von Liebig (1803–1873), chemist, contributed to Agricultural chemistry, agricultural and Biochemistry, biological chemistry, founder of organic chemistry
* Georg Gottfried Gervinus (1805–1871), literary and political historian
* Friedrich von Flotow (1812–1883), opera composer, died in Darmstadt
* Georg Büchner (1813–1837), dramatist, poet and revolutionist
* Carl Amand Mangold (1813–1889), composer and conductor
* Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen (1815–1881), Bavarian general
* Ludwig Büchner (1824–1899), philosopher, physiologist and physician; exponent of scientific materialism
* Friedrich August Kekulé (1829–1896), organic chemistry, organic chemist; founded the theory of chemical structure
* Eugen Bracht (1842–1921), landscape painter
* Georg von Hertling (1843–1919), politician
* Benjamin Altheimer (1850–1938), American banker and philanthropist
* Friedrich Dingeldey (1859–1939), German mathematician
* Karl Muck (1859–1940), conductor
* Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse (1868–1937), last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
* Karl Wolfskehl (1869–1948), poet, editor and translator
* Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Alexandra Feodorovna (1872–1918), Russian Empress, born as Alix of Hesse, married Nicholas II of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
* Christian Stock (1884–1967), politician
* Anton Köllisch (1888–1916), chemist who first synthesized MDMA (known as "ecstasy")
* Beno Gutenberg (1889–1960), German-American seismologist
* Karl Plagge (1897–1957), Wehrmacht officer, saved Lithuanian Jews from extermination during The Holocaust, Righteous among the Nations
* Karl-Otto Koch (1897–1945), commandant of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald concentration camp, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Sachsenhausen
* Josef Ganz (1898–1967), automotive engineer and pioneer, studied at the Technical University of Darmstadt
* Heinrich von Brentano (1904–1964), Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1955 to 1961
* Hans Möser (1906–1948), Nazi SS concentration camp officer executed for war crimes
* Walter Schmiele (1909–1998), author and translator
* Zinaida Petrovna Ziberova (born 1909), composer
* Arno Schmidt (1914–1979), author and translator
* Hans Stark (1921–1991), head of the admissions detail at Auschwitz-II Birkenau of Auschwitz concentration camp
* Georg Stern (1921–1980), operatic singer
* Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007), leading 20th-century electronic composer
* Günter Strack (1929–1999), actor
* Maciej Łukaszczyk (1934–2014), Polish pianist at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, founder and president of the Chopin organisation, porter of the Polish and German order
* Helmut Markwort (born 1936), journalist
* Annegret Soltau (born 1946), artist
* Cord Meijering (born 1955), Dutch composer
* Christoph Lanz (born 1959), journalist
* Volker Weidermann (born 1969), writer and journalist
*Florika Fink-Hooijer (born 1962), prominent European civil servant
* Nina Gerhard (born 1974), singer
* Karola Obermüller (born 1977), composer
* Björn Bürger (born 1985), operatic baritone
Sport
* Richard von Frankenberg (1922–1973), journalist and racing driver * Bruno Labbadia (born 1966), football manager and former professional player * Markus Rühl (born 1972), bodybuilder * Sascha Bert (born 1975), racing driver * Andrea Petkovic (born 1987), tennis playerTwin towns – sister cities
Darmstadt is Sister city, twinned with:
* Alkmaar, Netherlands (1958)
* Brescia, Italy (1991)
* Bursa, Turkey (1971)
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England, UK (1959)
* Freiberg, Germany (1990)
* Graz, Austria (1968)
* Saanen, Gstaad (Saanen), Switzerland (1991)
* Gyönk, Hungary (1990)
* Liepāja, Latvia (1993)
* Logroño, Spain (2002)
* Nahariya, Israel (2023)
* Płock, Poland (1988)
* San Antonio, United States (2017)
* Szeged, Hungary (1990)
* Trondheim, Norway (1968)
* Troyes, France (1958)
* Uzhhorod, Ukraine (1992)
See also
* Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences * Technical University of Darmstadt * Rhein-Main Region, Rhein-Main-AreaReferences
External links
* *Discover Darmstadt – City Tourist Website
* {{Authority control Darmstadt, Capitals of former nations Merck Group Odenwald Holocaust locations in Germany Urban districts of Hesse Darmstadt (region)