The German cultural gem you’ve probably never heard of

Darmstadt is a medieval town that is now home to heavy industry and punctuated by a number of art nouveau buildings. It is located in central-west Germany about 20km from Frankfurt. Like Frankfurt, it is home to a number of major German companies so it attracts business travellers more than tourists. You are unlikely to find yourself in Darmstadt unless you have to visit a pharmaceutical company or the university. I would argue it is worth a day trip regardless of if you need to visit for work.

Never one to turn down the opportunity to see somewhere new, I opted for the first flight to Frankfurt on a Sunday morning. This meant I spent the day exploring, eating, and demonstrating the major failing of the British school system: it doesn’t teach you languages properly. No, 1000+ days of Duolingo doesn’t mean you can speak German, shocker. However, if you’re wondering why everything in Germany JUST WORKs, then “why the German’s do it better” is worth taking as your travel reading.

One of the fascinating things about Darmstadt is it is the 10th most expensive city in Germany to live in, yet there is so much visible deprivation (unlike in Berlin where it is much more hidden). There are two examples I still cannot shake. On my way from (the wrong) train station to my hotel, my taxi driver eagerly pointed out the prostitute by the side of the road on Sunday mid-morning. The other is the soundtrack to my walk into the town centre from the men living on the mattress on the side of the road. A real contrast to the structural beauty around.

A little history of Darmstadt

Darmstadt was awarded a town charter in 1330 and became part of Hessen-Darmstadt in 1576. It is most well-known for its art nouveau buildings and commitment to culture.

Darmstadt was the main city in Hesse until 1919 when Weisbaden took over (it now hosts the regional parliament). If you search for the history of Darmstadt, you find tales awfully like many other major German cities including persecution of Jewish communities from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth century.

Darmstadt is rare in the respect it has been awarded both a City of Science and City of Art status. Today, this is reflected in the fact it is home to the UNESCO World Heritage “Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt” (an artists colony, on my list for next time) and the European Space Agency, a lot of tributes to JFK and a number of pharmaceutical companies as well as a global university.

Darmstadt Technical University is over 150 years old and it is one of the leading technical universities in the world.

Stop one: Frankfurt

What is the neue alt-stadt?

The neue alt-stadt was completed in 2019 and replaces a set of beautiful buildings that were destroyed by allied bombing during the Second World War. The building project that led to the neue alt-stadt saw 20 buildings re-built and 15 buildings refurbished or restored. The buildings in the neue alt-stadt has been designed to mimic the art-nouveau style which was so popular in late nineteenth century Germany.

The neue alt-stadt includes a cathedral, cafes, museums and obligatory gift shops. Critics say it is too clean to be an old town (well duh, it is only a few years old) but I thought it was fabulous. It was built to a precise blue print and it looks to the untrained eye, as authentic as other art nouveau cities in Europe.

Travelling between Frankfurt and Darmstadt

Frankfurt and Darmstadt are very well connected. Frankfurt am Main has regular trains to Darmstadt and there is also a regular bus route that takes about 30 minutes and costs less than 10 Euros. Beware however, there is more than one train station in Darmstadt. Check which your train is stopping at versus where you need to go. I didn’t do this and ended up at Darmstadt Nord. It is not an easy walk to the centre, there are barely any taxis. When I finally did get a taxi, the driver took a very odd route which was where we saw the prostitute. Who knows if she was one, but it makes a half-decent story.

Stop two: Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt

Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt has to be one of the most eclectic I have visited. It was packed with religious paraphernalia, Japanese ceramics, artifacts from the rulers of Hesse, and taxidermy. A whole wing of taxidermy (and other natural history artifacts but none as fascinating as the taxidermy).

A couple of things to note on Darmstadt museum. Despite it being a regional museum, it was the size of many national museums and had a range of language guides and temporary exhibitions to match.

The museum is €6 entry which can be bought from the museum website and is well worth every euro.

Stop three: lunch in the Marktplatz

Like so many cities in continental Europe, Darmstadt has a magnificent market square (Marktplatz) which is adorned with local restaurants and cafes, each with their own take on the local cuisine.

I opted for a cafe on the square and had a local specialty of potato cakes topped with smoked salmon and salad. It was perfect for the warm day.

Stop four: Exploring the Herrngarten and Prinz George Garten

Tucked away behind the Hessisches Landesmuseum is the Herrngarten, a sprawling city park featuring blossom-filled trees (I was there in April), statues and monuments, two kids play areas and a fabulous walled rose garden the Prinz George Garten.

Even though it was notably busy, I found the Herrngarten a good place to stop, take in the surroundings and enjoy a bit of my book. Plus it’s free to get into, which meant my spend seeing Darmstadt overall was very low.

Stop five: take in the architecture of the city

In addition to the aforementioned Mathildenhöhe the city of Darmstadt is a perfect place just to walk and take in the buildings.

The main city centre is adorned with art nouveau, but there are other wonders including an apartment building – the Waldspirale – that looks a bit like a magic eye puzzle and university buildings that are impressive for the more brutalist take on things, like the JFK building below.

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