Frankfurt Airport, the largest airport in
continental Europe, is very close to Darmstadt. It is 17 kilometers
from Darmstadt which you can reach within approximately 25 minutes
using the Airliner
bus . This bus departs every 30 minutes from the
airport's terminal 1. If you like to
rent a car in Frankfurt, you can also easily access Darmstadt via
the autobahn (motorway) A5. A taxi ride costs you about
40€.
If you are not coming by plane, you can still easily access
Darmstadt via the autobahn A5 (Frankfurt-Basel) or A67
(Köln-Mannheim). In Germany all motorways are toll free.
Or you can come by train. Darmstadt is connected with
many big cities within and outside of Germany – cities like
Berlin, Hamburg, München, Basel, Wien or Paris.
Gastronomy and promenading in Darmstadt
The wide pedestrian zone has a bazaar-like atmosphere. Elegant
shops, restaurants and cafes invite you to promenade and stay. The
city offers a variety of gastronomy, from rustic to international.
Students, young and older people are soonest found in the so called
"Watzeviertel", a district containing many cozy pubs
with flair. It is located in the area of Mauerstraße and
Lautenschlägerstraße. If you prefer sitting outside in
the summer, you can enjoy typical german beer gardens.
Here are some examples of bistros, cafes, ice-cream parlours,
pubs and restaurants you can visit for recreation or for lunch,
during pauses or in the evening. Most of them are rather central
and can be easily reached from the conference site or the
hotel.
The beer garden
"Bavarian beer garden" is one of the biggest southern in
hessen. It offers about 1500 seats (Kastanienallee 4). Closer
to the conference site is the beer garden in the Dieburger
Straße 97.
Some nice cafes are the "Café
Mathildenhöhe" (Europaplatz 1) within the
artists’ colony Mathildenhöhe or the "Nachrichten-Treff"
(Elisabethenstraße 20) in the city. The "Coyote
Cafe" is located in the Hundertwasser-building which is part
of a huge new building project, the "Waldspirale"
(Waldspirale 8). The Coyote Cafe also has a bar and a
restaurant.
In Darmstadt’s pubs, besides German beer, wine and
cider, you can even get Irish Guinness. They, as well, are good
opportunities to get a nice meal. Many of them are located near the
conference site. Examples are the "Irish Pub"
(Landgraf-Georg-Straße 25), which often presents live
music, the "Darmstädter Ratskeller" (Marktplatz
8), the "Hobbit"
(Lautenschlägerstraße 3), the
"Landgraf" (Grafenstraße 25) and
"Zum Hotzenplotz" (Mauerstraße 34). Very
near to the Maritim Hotels is the "Darmstädter
Braustüb’l" (Goebelstraße 7).
Of course, there are some wine taverns in Darmstadt, too.
Near the conference site you can find the "Weinstube
Schubert" (Dieburgerstraße 64) and "Wein
Schütz" (Lautenschlägerstraße 12).
Sightseeing in Darmstadt
Darmstadt, once residence of Hessian Landgraves is located in
the middle west of Germany. The city offers many cultural and
artistic highlights and is especially renowned for its Jugendstil
buildings. In the following some of the most beautiful and
interesting sights of Darmstadt are presented.
When you come to
Darmstadt, you can’t evade the
"Luisenplatz". All important busses depart
there, it’s the start of the pedestrian zone and the city
hall is located there. The "Luisencenter", a big
shopping center, dominates the north side of the place with its
just renovated façade. It also houses the city information.
Since end of 1997 the "Carree" next to the
Luisenplatz invites with many small shops and gastronomy in a
combination of industry halls under monumental protection and
modern architecture. The Luisenplatz was built in the 18th century.
In its center on a pillar of 33 meters a bronze statue of the grand
duke Ludwig I oversees the place.
In the center of the city, the Castle of
Darmstadt can be found. The building is a conglomerate of
six centuries' architecture. Located in the castle, since 1924, is
the "Schloßmuseum" which offers an
overview of 250 years of courtly life.
The Hessian state museum is located at the Friedensplatz
near the conference site. Its collections were gathered by the
different grand dukes of Darmstadt. There you can find pre- and
early history, greek and roman archaeology, artwork, zoological and
geological collections.
The Orangerie,
designed by the architect Remy de la Fosse, was built between 1719
and 1721. The small castle was originally used to house orange
trees in the winter. During the summer, the trees were put in the
beautiful park around the Orangerie. The restored castle is used
for conferences, concerts and banquettes today. The
Orangerie-Park was arranged by the court-gardener J. K.
Ehret from Heidelberg. The baroque garden consists of three stepped
levels, fountains and alleys. Even nowadays tropical fruits grow in
that park.
In the 19th century, the stately vineyard was converted into a
garden after English example, the
"Rosenhöhe". Picturesque groves and flowers
were planted and the court-architect Georg Moller added tea-houses
and pavilions to the complex, some of which still exist. 1894, the
grand "Palais Rosenhöhe" was built for
Prince Wilhelm. After World War II Darmstadt reestablished an
artists’ district at the Rosenhöhe, as grand duke
Ernst Ludwig did before. In the contemplative housing estate,
renowned artists, composers and poets live. Close to the
Rosenhöhe is the artists’ district
"Mathildenhöhe" with its Jugenstil-buildings
which was founded in the early 20th century.
The Waldspirale
was built by Darmstadt’s "Bauverein AG" after the concept of
Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It is located at the border of the
city in the "Bürgerpark". The Waldspirale is the
first building in Germany to use recycling concrete and has a
typical Hundertwasser-design. The façade follows no pattern,
no window is in line. You can also get inside the building where
you find a bistro, restaurant and a souvenir shop.
Mainz
(~30 minutes by train)
Mainz, capital of
the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, has a long and rich history,
documented by Roman remains dating back 2,000 years and the
magnificent buildings bequeathed by the Prince Electors of the
Baroque period. In the 17th century the princes transformed
the face of the city, commissioning the best architects and
sculptors to build unique royal palaces and new churches. The close
interrelationship of church and city history is documented by the
imposing 1000 years old cathedral, which dominates the
Mainz's striking skyline. The "St. Stephan"
church has become famous for its windows. They were designed by the
artist Marc Chagall and contain the well-known Chagall-blue.
The Old
Town is worth a visit for its picturesque narrow streets and
restored half-timbered buildings. Johannes Gutenberg, who invented
the printing press, was a child of Mainz. The
Gutenbergmuseum presents the history of printing and also
shows original Gutenberg-bibles. But Mainz has other museums, too, like the "Antique
Shipping Museum" with remains of five Roman
warships and full-size models. The Kupferberg sparkling
wine cellars are located in Mainz. These are the world’s
deepest wine cellars.
Wiesbaden
(~45 minutes by train)
On the one hand, Wiesbaden is the modern capital of the
state of Hessen, and on the other hand, it is a jewel, which
has lovingly preserved its traditions. There you can experience the
synthesis of architectural styles from many epochs and discover
buildings which are historical masterpieces.
Wiesbaden’s
famous antiques street, the Taunusstraße, and the city with
the Wilhelmstraße and its Old Town with historic buildings
offer some opportunities for nice shopping and window shopping. The
cozy wine pubs will give you an opportunity to sample and enjoy the
regional cuisine or the well-known Riesling wine. Wiesbaden also
houses a huge Casino where you can try your luck.
The 26 hot springs at the Kuchbrunnentempel at the
Kranzplatz were already known by the Romans. You can enjoy the
springs at the renovated "Old
Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme". Wiesbaden also has a variety of cultural offers, like the
State Theatre, various cabarets, museums und the historic
"Kurhaus".
Frankfurt
(~20 minutes by train)
Frankfurt is known for
its skyscrapers and for being a city of finance. But it also has
many charms, like the picturesque houses of the beautifully
restored Römerberg in the city centre and the unique
"Museum Mile" along both banks of the Main River with 13
museums. The highlights among these are the
"Städelsche Kunstinstitut", a museum of
classic and modern art, the German Museum of Film, the
German Museum of Architecture, the Museum of
Ethnology and the Museum for Communication.
Some cultural
highlights are the „Old Opera House" and the
„Goethe House", birthplace of Germany’s
famous poet Goethe. Historical sights can also be found in
Frankfurt, like the "Historical Garden",
presenting Roman excavations, and the "Jews
Alley" where excavations revealed typical buildings of
the former ghetto. In Frankfurt you can visit the
"Kaiserdom", where the crowing of German kings
took place, as well as the "Paulskirche", the
site of Germany’s first democratically-elected parliament.
Frankfurt’s historical city center with the "Fountain
of Justice" is called the
"Römerberg". It is enclosed by the
cathedral and the "Römer", which is
the city’s town hall since the 15th century.
South of the Main River is the district "Sachsenhausen". It is
renowned for its traditional cider pubs. One example is the
"Sachsenhäuser Warte", a large beer garden which serves fine
beers, cider and rural food.
Heidelberg (40-60 minutes by train)
Germany’s
first university was founded in Heidelberg which is a
beautiful historic city with an attractive Old Town
and many other attractions. These include the baroque style town
hall and the students’ prison. The Main Street is
Germany’s longest shopping mile and features most of
Heidelberg’s shops and many bistros and cafes. Culture is
also present at Main Street, for example in the
"Kurpfälzisches Museum", the
"Zimmertheatre" and the Town Theatre. The
"Madonna" at the "Kornmarkt" is a
monument that was built to convince the citizens of Catholicism.
Heidelberg’s "Schlossgarden" is richly
decorated with flower beds, exotic trees and mazes. It has large
fish basins and elaborated waterfalls.
Heidelberg’s visitor loadstone is the famous and
beautiful castle. Over its more than 300 years'
architectural history, the castle has developed from a medieval
fortress into a splendid Renaissance palace. From there you
can overview the Old Town and the Rhine plain. Part of the
castle are many famous sights. For example the
"Gläserner Saalbau", whose festival hall
was once hung with precious mirrors, and the
"Ottheinrichsbau" with its splendid rich facade,
famous for its sculptures. Also found at the castle, is the
"Dicker Turm". The bulwark was built in 1533 and
still shows impressing evidence of its time: the inner diameter is
14 m, it is 40 metres above the valley, and the walls are 7m
thick.
In Heidelberg you
can also find many museums. These include the German Museum of
Pharmacy, which offers a wide range of information on
pharmaceutical history, beginning with the 17th century. The
Museum of the University of Heidelberg is situated in the
"Old University" and documents the history of Germany's oldest
higher education facility. The three display rooms show the history
from its foundation in 1386 until now. In the German
Packing Museum, located on main street, exhibits the history
of mostly German industrial packaging from the 19th and 20th.
top
