Darmstadt
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Darmstadt [1] is a city in Hesse, Germany, located a little south of Frankfurt.
[edit] Understand
Prior to World War II, Darmstadt was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The Grand Dukes used to live in what is now the Schloß Marktplatz. It is also the birth place of the last Empress of Russia, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna Romanov, who was born as Princess Alix Viktoria Helena Luise Beatrice of Hesse and by Rhine. Sadly, much of the old city was destroyed in carpet bombing by the Allies during World War II, and most of what is still standing was reconstructed after the war. Darmstadt also lost its status as the capital of Hesse after the war, the honour now lying with the nearby city of Wiesbaden.
The popular recreational drug Ecstasy was first synthesised in Darmstadt in 1912 by a chemist known as Anton Kollisch while he was working for the pharmaceutical company Merck.
The ProRegio Darmstadt tourist office is located at Im Carree 4a, on the second floor.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By train
Trains connect Darmstadt to surrounding cities, including Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Mainz. Some ICE trains stop at the Darmstadt train station.
[edit] By air
Darmstadt is located about 20 minutes by road from Frankfurt Airport. For those continuing their journey to Darmstadt by public transport, the Darmstadt Airport Shuttle bus service (AirLiner) is far more convenient than the train. It runs every 30 to 60 minutes between 4 a.m. and 11 p.m. and costs €7.10/€5.65 for adults/children. More information can be found on the Darmstadt local transport website.
[edit] By car
The freeways A5 and A67 go by to the eastern end of Darmstadt.
[edit] Get around
The "HEAG" operates a network of trams and buses which are cheap, reliable, mostly punctual, and allow you to get almost everywhere. Schedules can be found here or here
[edit][add listing] See
- Darmstadt is famous for its Jugendstil (art nouveau) buildings. Many of the buildings survived the massive destruction of Darmstadt in September 1944. Visit the Künstlerkolonie Mathildenhöhe, to see the most interesting ones. This is the most beautiful part of Darmstadt. There is also a small park and an art museum there. [2]. Here is another link with information in English.
- Darmstadt's landmark is the Langer Ludwig, a statue on a huge sandstone column located right in the city center. When you visit Darmstadt, you can't avoid it. On the first Saturday of every month (and during special events) it is open for the public, meaning that you can climb the column (through a stair located on the inside) and get a beautiful view over Darmstadt.
- The huge Hundertwasser house called "Waldspirale" ("Forest Spiral") was finished in 2000. It is a wonderful example for Friedensreich Hundertwasser's (the famous Austrian architect and painter) colourful architectural designs. You can see some pictures here.
- The original Castle Frankenstein is located near Darmstadt in Mühltal. Here is another link with information in English. The Castle is first mentioned in the records in the year 948, and initial construction of the Castle ruins remaining today began in the 13th century. The 14th and 15th centuries saw expansion, followed by construction of reinforcements in the 16th. It was owned by the Barons von Frankenstein who owned most of the surrounding land until 1662 in which the Baron of that time sold the property to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. A story about the castle served as the inspiration for the Mary Shelley novel,Frankenstein, after she visited the castle in 1814.
- A nice baroque garden is the Orangerie. The garden with several fountains is located in the south of Darmstadt in the heart of Bessungen. In the summer people are playing boule or just relaxing in the grass. To get there take the tram number 3 and exit at the station Orangerie [3].
[edit][add listing] Do
[edit] Festivals and regular events
- Heinerfest, [4]. Held once a year at the end of June/beginning of July (2007:June 28–July 2). The Festival occupies the whole inner city for 4–5 days. It is the largest "Inner City Festival" of Germany.
- Schloßgrabenfest, [5]. An annual music festival (usually in May) in the city center. The dates for 2008 are May 29 – June 1. Entry is free.
- Frühstückstreff Darmstadt, [6]. A monthly breakfast club meeting. Entry is free.
[edit] Nightlife
- Stella, Rheinstraße 40-42, Tel: 0 61 51-30 82 750, [7]. Nightclub and Lounge, crowd is mainly in its twenties, house music.
- Schlosskeller, [8]. Non-profit bar and disco run by university students in the dungeons of the Darmstadt Castle.
- Centralstation, [9]. Concert hall, lounge and restaurant. Has many events going on.
- partyamt.de - The well known and best updated website for all events in darmstadt tells you all about the best partyspots, concerts and what else to do.
- Level 6, [10]. (Kasinostr. 60) Cocktail Lounge and Web Lounge und K-60, [11]. Billiard, Snooker, Darts, Fussball, Air Hockey. A bistro with 3 TVs and a projector for sports events
[edit][add listing] Buy
[edit] Clothing
- Boathouse (designer clothes, Hügelstraße 71)
[edit][add listing] Eat
- City Braustüb'l [12], Wilhelminenstraße 31; local food and beer, steaks; country style interieur and a small, cosy beer garden in summer.
- Mondo Deli [13], City Center, Grafenstraße 31; good vegetarian food: indian curries, pasta, soups, salads; selfservice style, menue changes every day, international travellers welcome.
- Asia [14], old chinese restaurant in Darmstadt, Kasinostrasse 69. Tel (06151) 29 17 46 (since 1974); good sushi: Sushi-Flatrate served as runnning sushi, delicious chinese restaurant HotPot, Steamboat (3Pers. up) and much more classical chinese dishes. Accept Visa, Amexco, Diners, Master-Cards.
- Oseki, Neckarstraße 20; good sushi: all you can eat, served on a running sushi belt, plus buffet of asian food, reasonably priced (lunch 8,90€, dinner 16,90€).
- Mama Mia, Rungenweg, [0] 6151 / 2698
- Havana, Leisberg, [0] 6151 / 4862
- Luna Rossa, Mühlbauerstr., [0] 6151 / 2960
- Zum Goldenen Anker, Nymphenburgerstr., [0] 6151 / 14850
- Korfu, Holzstrasse , [0] 6151 / 16481
- Il Borgo, Aberlestraße , [0] 6151 / 21982
- Gyros, Alter markt, [0] 6151 / 26850
- Hong Kong Bar, Breisacherstr. , [0] 6151 / 13205
- Weisses Brauhaus, Stollbergstr. , [0] 6151 / 7590
- Shiva, Mühlbauerstr., [0] 6151 / 24807
- Maredo, Kaulbachstrasse , [0] 6151 / 23241
- Riva, Kumlbacher Str., [0] 6151 / 5449
[edit][add listing] Drink
Darmstadt has several breweries, as well as a large amount of smaller taverns.
- Grohe Brauerei, Nieder-Ramstädter-Str.3, Tel: 06151/425255 Fax: 06151/716644,[15]. A smaller traditional brewery. It has its own tavern, where you can drink the freshly brewed beer, and eat typical local foods. It is located in the Nieder-Ramstädter-Straße 3, and can easily be reached by tram or by foot from the city center. The beer is also available for sale in bottels or barrels. Many locals believe that this is the best beer available in Darmstadt.
- Ratskeller. A tavern located in the city center, at the market place, brew their own beer, which is also very tasty. The tavern is located in the cellar vault of an older building and has a nice, traditional atmosphere.
- Rummel Brauerei. The largest in Darmstadt, brews the "Darmstädter" Bier, which is available in many restaurants and taverns in Darmstadt.
Hesse's national drink, apple cider (Apfelwein, or, in the local dialect, "Äbbelwoi"), is very popular here too. It is available in pure form, or blended with soda water ("sauer gespritzt") or lemonade ("süß gespritzt"). Foreigners not used to the unusual taste (it is much more sour and less sweet than the cider common in other countries) might want to try the version blended with lemonade first.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
- Maritim Hotels -These two hotels are the best in Darmstadt.
Other hotel options include:
- IBIS Hotel, Kasinostrasse 6, Tel: (+49)6151/39700, Fax: (+49)6151/3970123, [18].
- ETAP Hotel, Kasinostrasse 4-6, Tel: (+49) 06151 397 37 20, [19].
- Hotel Contel, Otto-Röhm-Straße 90, Tel: 06151/8820, Fax: 06151/882888, [20].
- Parkhaus Hotel, Grafenstraße 31, Tel: +49 (0) 6151-28100, fax: +49 (0) 6151-293908, [21].
- An der Mathildenhöhe, Spessartring 53, Tel: 06151/4984-0, Fax: 06151/4984-50, [22].
- Hotel Jagdschloß Kranichstein, Kranichsteiner Straße 261, Tel: 06151-97790, [23].
- Add on Hotel Weinmichel, Schleiermacherstr.10-12, Tel: +49 6151 13064-0, Fax: +49 6151 13064-250, [24].
- Hotel Bockshaut, Kirchstr. 7-9, Tel. +49 6151 878-0, Fax: +49 6151 9967-67, [25]
- Prinz Heinrich, Bleichstraße 48, Tel: +49 6151 8137-0, Fax: +49 6151 8137-13, [26]
- Youth Hostel (Deutsche Jugendherberge), Landgraf-Georg-Str. 119, Tel: +49 6151 45293, Fax: +49 6151 422535, E-Mail: darmstadt@djh-hessen.de, [27]
- Appartments Duval, Haupstr, [0] 6151 / 22028
- Villa Oriental, Kumlbacher Str., [0] 6151 / 15398
- Manhatten, Kaulbachstrasse , [0] 6151 / 22313
- Hotel Obergasse, Breisacherstr. , [0] 6151 / 26897
- Hotel Monopol, Rungenweg, [0] 6151 / 30744
- Crown Hotel, Haupstr, [0] 6151 / 16995
- Hotel tourist, Aberlestraße , [0] 6151 / 15769
- Concord, Nymphenburgerstr., [0] 6151 / 11487
[edit] Get out
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Messel Pit Fossil Site is located a few kilometers outside Darmstadt. UNESCO states that "Messel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals and includes exceptionally well-preserved mammal fossils, ranging from fully articulated skeletons to the contents of stomachs of animals of this period." Messel has a small railway station on the Darmstadt – Aschaffenburg line. From the station it is about a 20-minute walk (there is no bus) out of town to the south. There is a small cycling sign pointing in the right direction. A path runs next to the road through the forest, and there is a large sign at the turn off from the road. The Site is open from the start of April to the end of October. See webiste for full details (German only).
Worms, Weinheim, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Mainz can all be reached in a day trip from Darmstadt.
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