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79-669: The residence of the landgraves was in Darmstadt , hence the name. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars , the landgraviate was elevated to the Grand Duchy of Hesse following the Empire's dissolution in 1806. Like many petty German states, the landgraviate comprised a number of disconnected pockets of land (exclaves). These included the southern Starkenburg territory with the Darmstadt residence and

158-845: A Prince-Primate of the confederation. As such, he was President of the College of Kings and presided over the Diet of the Confederation, designed to be a parliament-like body although it never actually assembled. The President of the Council of the Princes was the Prince of Nassau-Usingen. In return for their support of Napoleon, some rulers were given higher statuses: Baden , Hesse, Cleves , and Berg were made into grand duchies , and Württemberg and Bavaria became kingdoms. Several member states were also enlarged with

237-684: A bitter, decades-long rivalry. Because the University of Marburg had become Calvinist under the rule of Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel , his cousin Louis V of Hesse-Darmstadt founded the Lutheran University of Giessen in 1607. The inheritance conflict was continued in the broader context of the Thirty Years' War , in which Hesse-Kassel sided with the Protestant estates and Hesse-Darmstadt sided with

316-567: 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. Due to the fact that the last ruling Grand Duke of Hesse, Ernst Ludwig was a grandson of Queen Victoria and brother to Empress Alexandra of Russia , the architecture of Darmstadt has been influenced by British and Russian imperial architecture with many examples still existing, such as

395-483: A church presbytery. The most important Catholic Church is St. Ludwig in central Darmstadt. The Russian Chapel in Darmstadt 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 , whose wife Alexandra was born in Darmstadt. Although Russian orthodox churches also exist in other cities outside Russia, the Russian Chapel in Darmstadt

474-693: A great deal of territory by the secularizations and mediatizations authorized by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803. Most notable was the acquisition of the Duchy of Westphalia , formerly owned by the Prince-Archbishop of Cologne , as well as territories from the Prince-Archbishop of Mainz and the Prince-Bishop of Worms . In 1806, upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and

553-633: A loose confederation of sovereign states (the treaty called it the États confédérés du Rhin . The " Protector of the Confederation " was a hereditary office of the Emperor of the French, Napoleon. On 1 August, as the treaty compelled them to do, the members of the confederation formally seceded from the Holy Roman Empire, and on 6 August, following an ultimatum by Napoleon, Francis II , who had already proclaimed himself Emperor of Austria in 1804, declared

632-407: 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. The name Darmstadt first appears towards the end of the 11th century, then as Darmundestat . Darmstadt

711-528: 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

790-560: A separate industry based research educational institution in 1971 and is the largest University of Applied Sciences in Hesse (German: Hessen ) with about 16,500 students. The 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,

869-458: A voluntary option for its future member states. Negotiations between France and the princes who had been selected by Napoleon to be members of the future alliance had been dragging on for the first six months of 1806 when Napoleon decided to rush things. On 12 July, the Paris envoys of the various princes were summoned to the ministry of Foreign Affairs to find themselves instructed by Talleyrand to sign

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948-491: Is a botanical garden maintained by the Technische Universität Darmstadt with a fine collection of rare plants and trees. 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 elements along with renaissance and baroque , it houses the royal crypt . Hotel Bockshaut was built in 1580 for

1027-404: Is a major base for low-cost carrier Ryanair . This airport can only be reached by car or bus. Darmstadt is served by several national and European bus links which connect Darmstadt with other German and European cities. 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

1106-541: 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. The city's main professional club

1185-460: 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

1264-531: Is more live music -oriented, is held in the same location every year in May. These two festivals attract 700,000 and 400,000 visitors respectively. 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)

1343-672: 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 (Hessian State Museum), the Porcelain Museum (exhibition of the ducal porcelain), the Schlossmuseum (exhibition of the ducal residence and possessions), the Kunsthalle Darmstadt (exhibitions of modern art),

1422-582: Is the 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 . Confederation of the Rhine 50°07′N 8°41′E  /  50.117°N 8.683°E  / 50.117; 8.683 The Confederated States of the Rhine , simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation ,

1501-516: 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

1580-604: The Congress of Vienna redrew the continent's political map. Napoleonic creations such as the huge Kingdom of Westphalia, the Grand Duchy of Berg and the Duchy of Würzburg were abolished; suppressed states, including Hanover, the Brunswick duchies, Hesse-Kassel and Oldenburg, were reinstated. On the other hand, most members of the Confederation of the Rhine located in central and southern Germany survived with minor border changes. They, along with

1659-510: The 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 , was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021. Darmstadt was formerly the capital of a sovereign state,

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1738-605: The Electorate of Baden and the Duchy of Württemberg benefited the most from these changes. The disappearance of ecclesiastical territories meant the emperor lost important political support. The end of the crippled Holy Roman Empire was foreseeable. Francis II took the title of Emperor of Austria in 1804 to counter the loss of prestige. When the War of the Third Coalition broke out in 1805, with Russia, Austria and Great Britain on

1817-537: 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

1896-592: The Habsburg emperor. The Hesse-Homburg and Hesse-Rotenburg estates seceded from the opponents in 1622 and 1627. Though Hesse-Darmstadt and Hesse-Kassel reached an agreement in 1627, the quarrels rekindled, resulting inter alia in the Siege of Dorsten and culminating in a series of open battles from 1645, when the Kassel Landgravine Amalie Elisabeth besieged Marburg. The conflict was finally settled on

1975-517: The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel , while the second son Louis IV obtained Hesse-Marburg , and the third Philipp II became Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels . The Hesse-Rheinfels line became extinct on Philip's death in 1583. When, in 1604, the childless Landgrave Louis IV of Hesse-Marburg died at Marburg Castle , a succession dispute to his lands, along with the sectarian differences between Calvinist Hesse-Kassel and Lutheran Hesse-Darmstadt, led to

2054-500: The Rhein-Main Metropolitan Area ). The backbone of public transport in Darmstadt is the tram system with 10 lines. Local bus lines also serve all parts of the city and the city is served by regional bus lines. The historically important local airfield August Euler Airfield is closed to aviation at large, being reserved for the use of the Technische Universität Darmstadt . Darmstadt can be easily accessed from around

2133-635: The Rhine-Main S-Bahn , which connects the city to Frankfurt . Within Darmstadt the S3 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 . The extensive public transport system of Darmstadt is integrated in the RMV (the transportation authority of

2212-605: The Treaty of Lunéville , which saw the annexation of the German territories of the left bank of the Rhine occupied by France, a new order of Central European states was established. The Final Imperial Recess of 1803 led to a radical transformation within the Holy Roman Empire . Some 112 immediate territories east of the Rhine were absorbed by larger states. Over three million people were affected by this change. All ecclesiastical territories save one were secularized and most free imperial cities underwent mediatisation . Besides Prussia,

2291-628: The trade embargo with Great Britain , the Continental System . The Confederation of the Rhine collapsed in 1813, in the aftermath of Napoleon's failed invasion of the Russian Empire . Many of its members changed sides after the Battle of Leipzig , when it became apparent Napoleon would lose the War of the Sixth Coalition . Both French influence and internal autonomy varied greatly throughout

2370-769: 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 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

2449-630: 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

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2528-413: 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 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

2607-479: The French Empire. Thus, as either emperor of the French or protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, Napoleon was now the overlord of all of Germany except Austria, Prussia , Danish Holstein , and Swedish Pomerania , plus previously independent Switzerland, which were not included in the Confederation. In 1810 large parts of what is now northwest Germany were quickly annexed to France in order to better monitor

2686-434: The German variant of Art Nouveau . Also during this period, in 1912 the chemist Anton Kollisch , working for the pharmaceutical company 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 ). Darmstadt

2765-770: The Habsburgs when they were within the Holy Roman Empire. In order to add luster to his newly-founded dynasty, the French Emperor pressed hard to arrange a marriage between his step-son Eugène de Beauharnais and Augusta of Bavaria . Napoleon had already contemplated marrying Beauharnais to a Wittelsbach princess in 1804 but it’s only in 1806, following his elevation to the status of king, that Max Joseph gave in to Napoleon’s pressure. Other royal marriages were arranged between Stéphanie de Beauharnais and Charles of Baden and Jérôme Bonaparte and Catharina of Württemberg . After Prussia lost to France in 1806, Napoleon cajoled most of

2844-467: The Holy Roman Empire dissolved. According to the treaty, the confederation was to be run by common constitutional bodies, but the individual states (in particular the larger ones) wanted unlimited sovereignty . Instead of a monarchical head of state , as the Holy Roman Emperor had been, its highest office was held by Karl Theodor von Dalberg , the former Arch Chancellor, who now bore the title of

2923-505: The Luisenplatz with its grand-ducal column, the old Hessian State Theatre (at Karolinenplatz) and the Russian Chapel 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

3002-570: The Netherlands, the Baltic states, and Nordic countries. The two main centres for Jugendstil art in Germany were Munich and Darmstadt. 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 , first Grand Duke of Hesse ,

3081-528: The TU is responsible for the large student population of the city, which stood at 33,547 in 2004. Darmstadt has nine official 'Stadtteile' ( boroughs ). These are: The current mayor of Darmstadt is Hanno Benz of SPD , who was elected in 2023. The following is a list of mayors since 1945: The Darmstadt city council ( Stadtverordnetenversammlung ) governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election

3160-518: The Tsarina's brother and family in Darmstadt. The Residential Palace Darmstadt ( Stadtschloss ) is located in the city centre. It was the residence of the counts of Hesse-Darmstadt , later as 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

3239-477: The absorption of the territories of Imperial counts and knights who were mediatized at that time. They had to pay a very high price for their new status, however. The Confederation was above all a military alliance; the member states had to maintain substantial armies for mutual defense and supply France with large numbers of military personnel. As events played out, the members of the confederation found themselves more subordinated to Napoleon than they had been to

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3318-464: The catholic secondary school Edith-Stein-Schule , the Adventists ' Schulzentrum Marienhöhe , an anthroposophic Waldorf School , a Comenius School and other faith based private schools. The Technical University of Darmstadt (German: Technische Universität Darmstadt ), commonly referred to as TU Darmstadt, is a prestigious research university in Germany. It was founded in 1877 and received

3397-509: 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

3476-403: The confederation were German princes of the Holy Roman Empire . They were later joined by 19 others, altogether ruling a total of over 15 million people. This granted a significant strategic advantage to the French Empire on its eastern frontier by providing a buffer between France and the two largest German states, Prussia and Austria (which also controlled substantial non-German lands). After

3555-418: The confederations' existence. There was also a great variation between the power and influence of the individual states. There are three basic types: The following table shows the members of the confederation, with their date of joining, as well as the number of troops provided, listed in parentheses. The allies opposing Napoleon dissolved the Confederation of the Rhine on 4 November 1813. After its demise,

3634-490: The dispossession of his cousin, Elector William I of Hesse-Kassel , Landgrave Louis X joined the Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine and took the title of Grand Duke of Hesse . 49°52′N 8°39′E  /  49.867°N 8.650°E  / 49.867; 8.650 Darmstadt Darmstadt ( German: [ˈdaʁmʃtat] ) is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in

3713-402: The elevation of both Bavaria and Württemberg to the rank of kingdom and Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt and Berg to that of grand duchy. With French encouragement, the vestiges of small Imperial estates in the region were annexed. This reorganisation of the right bank of the Rhine laid the groundwork for the Confederation of the Rhine. The formation of the Confederation of the Rhine was not altogether

3792-492: The eve of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia , more than eighty years after the division of the estates. Large parts of the disputed Upper Hesse territory, including Marburg, fell to the elder Kassel line, while Hesse-Darmstadt retained Giessen and Biedenkopf . In 1736, the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt inherited the estates of the extinct Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg , again contested by their Kassel cousins. Hesse-Darmstadt gained

3871-896: The exhibition centre Mathildenhöhe, and the Museum Künstlerkolonie ( Art Nouveau museum). 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 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 , 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

3950-430: 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. The Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (German: Hochschule Darmstadt ) has

4029-454: The following elements was also confirmed at 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 , which is the city's largest employer. The Mathildenhöhe, including

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4108-846: 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. The Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt (EHD)

4187-525: 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 . Today around 30% of Darmstadt consists out of buildings from before World War II. Throughout

4266-519: The late 1990s the Waldspirale ('Forest Spiral') was built, a residential complex by Austrian Friedensreich Hundertwasser . As an almost 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. Darmstadt

4345-568: The main hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa . Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport ( Flugplatz Frankfurt-Egelsbach ) is a busy general aviation airport located 5 km north of Darmstadt, near the town of Egelsbach . Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn Airport ( Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn ) is located far outside the Frankfurt Metro Area, approximately 120 km (75 mi) to the west in Lautzenhausen ( Rhineland-Palatinate ). Hahn Airport

4424-570: 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. 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,

4503-484: The northern province of Upper Hesse with Alsfeld , Giessen , Grünberg , the northwestern hinterland estates around Gladenbach , Biedenkopf and Battenberg as well as the exclave of Vöhl in Lower Hesse . The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt came into existence in 1567, when George , youngest of the four sons of Landgrave Philip I "the Magnanimous", received the Hessian lands in the former upper County of Katzenelnbogen . His eldest brother William IV received

4582-567: The one side and France on the other, Bavaria, Baden and Wurttemberg allied with Napoleon. After the victory at Austerlitz and the resultant Peace of Pressburg in 1805, Napoleon could significantly reassert his position in the German states. Furthermore, Austria had to concede territory and Napoleon named his brothers Joseph and Louis kings of Naples and Holland , respectively, and his brother-in-law Joachim Murat , Grand Duke of Berg . He also worked toward establishing an alliance with Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg. Francis II had to assent to

4661-424: The only attempt at political coordination in Germany until the creation on 8 June 1815 of the German Confederation was a body called the Central Administration Council (German: Zentralverwaltungsrat ); its president was Heinrich Friedrich Karl Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein (1757–1831). It was dissolved on 20 June 1815. On 30 May 1814 the Treaty of Paris declared the German states independent. In 1814–1815,

4740-436: The princes had been sent a copy of the proposed treaty, was aghast. Among other things, Bavaria would lose control of its foreign policy which would now be in the hands of Napoleon, the " Protector of the Confederation " . He hurriedly sent Baron Karl von Gravenreuth to Paris with instructions to reject a confederation which he said gave to the Protector a power "more extensive than the Emperor of Germany ever had". Von Gravenreuth

4819-421: 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. Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof is the terminus of S3 of

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4898-508: 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

4977-427: The secondary states of Germany into the Confederation of the Rhine. Eventually, an additional 23 German states joined the Confederation. It was at its largest in 1808, when it included 36 states—four kingdoms, five grand duchies, 13 duchies , seventeen principalities , and the Free Hansa towns of Hamburg , Lübeck , and Bremen . The west bank of the Rhine and the Principality of Erfurt had been annexed outright by

5056-443: The southern part of the 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" (German: Wissenschaftsstadt ) as it is a major centre of scientific institutions, universities, and high-technology companies. The European Organisation for

5135-456: The treaty of the new alliance, whose terms had been decided between him and Napoleon. This caused consternation among the envoys given that the terms were far more onerous for the princes than what had been expected. They all protested that they were not empowered to sign before their masters authorized them to do so, but Talleyrand compelled them to sign then and there and so they did under duress. King Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria , who alone among

5214-451: The war's end. The old city centre was largely destroyed in a 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

5293-402: 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: The City of Darmstadt offers students a broad variety of public primary, secondary and tertiary schools. Besides them private schools exist, e.g.

5372-410: The world via Frankfurt Airport ( Flughafen Frankfurt am Main ) which is located 20 km (12 mi) 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 second-busiest airport by cargo traffic in Europe. The airport also serves as

5451-438: Was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz . Its creation brought about the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire shortly afterward. The Confederation of the Rhine lasted for only seven years, from 1806 to 1813, dissolving after Napoleon's defeat in the War of the Sixth Coalition . The founding members of

5530-550: Was a centre of the 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

5609-444: 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,

5688-539: Was chartered as a city by the Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian in 1330, at which time it belonged to the counts of 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. When the house of Katzenelnbogen became extinct in 1479, the city was passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse , and

5767-538: Was detained long enough at the French border so that when he finally arrived in Paris all the other princes had signed. He therefore found it unadvisable to deliver the King’s views on the matter. In the words of Enno E. Kraehe: "Only by such crude methods was Napoleon able at last to found the Confederation of the Rhine". On signing the Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine (German: Rheinbundakte ), 16 German states joined in

5846-459: Was held on 14 March 2021, and the results were as follows: 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. Darmstadt is connected to

5925-629: 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 and their immediate family, with two impressive mausoleum buildings (Altes Mausoleum and Neues Mausoleum) in its remote parts. The Botanischer Garten in eastern Darmstadt

6004-613: 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 city has a high density of parks. Among the most important parks are the English style Herrngarten in central Darmstadt. In former times it

6083-432: Was seat of the ruling landgraves (1567–1806) and thereafter (to 1918) of the 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 TU Darmstadt , was established in 1877. In the early 20th century, Darmstadt was an important centre for the art movement of Jugendstil ,

6162-460: 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 concentration camps where most eventually died. In 1944,

6241-647: 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. 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 similar Schlossgrabenfest  [ de ] , which

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