Darmstadt’s significance as a city of culture is mainly based on the Artists’ Colony founded in 1901 by the city’s last grand duke, Ernst Ludwig, which made Darmstadt inter-regionally famous for Art Nouveau (in German known as Jugendstil). Surviving examples of the Jugendstil period include the Rosenhöhe, a landscaped English-style rose garden from the 19th century, recently renovated and replanted, the Mathildenhöhe with its famous “Wedding tower” by Joseph Maria Olbrich, the Russian Chapel and large exhibition halls as well as many private villas built by Jugendstil architects who had settled in Darmstadt.
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, the modern style Bürgerpark ("People's Park") in northern Darmstadt and the mystical Park Rosenhöhe, ("Rose Heights") which also serves as the cemetery for the dukes, with two impressive mausoleum buildings in its remote parts. The Botanical Garden in eastern Darmstadt is maintained by the Technische Universität Darmstadt with a fine collection of rare plants and trees.
Darmstadt is also located in close proximity of other historical cities, like Heidelberg, Mainz, or Frankfurt, as well as the beautiful Rhine river valley with the famous Lorely.
For further information regarding the history of Darmstadt, tourist attractions and sightseeing, please visit: www.darmstadt.de/