Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [472]
Two blocks northeast of Luisenplatz, the Hessisches Landesmuseum (Hesse State Museum; 165 703; www.hlmd.de, in German; Friedensplatz 1) has a wide-ranging collection that includes an exceptional display of works by Joseph Beuys (Click here). It is closed for renovations until 2011.
A long block east of Luisenplatz, the Schlossmuseum ( 240 35; www.schlossmuseum-darmstadt.de, in German; Marktplatz 15; adult/student €4/1.50), likely to be closed in 2010 and perhaps 2011, is packed with ornate furnishings, carriages and paintings. It occupies the southeast corner of the Schloss complex, rebuilt after WWII damage and now occupied by the Technische Universität, whose campus – some of it shiny-new, other sections postwar-ugly – is across the street to the east and northeast.
The historic Jugendstilbad ( 951 560; www.jugendstilbad.de, in German; Mercksplatz 1; swimming pools 2hr/4hr/all day €5/7/9, incl spa €7.50/10/12, incl spa & saunas €11/13.50/16, child under 1m tall free, child 1m-17yr 25% discount; 10am-10pm) is a swimming and spa complex that looks just as gorgeous as it did when it opened in 1909. It reopened in 2008 after meticulous restoration. It has a year-round outdoor pool, a superb Jugendstil indoor pool and 10 dry and wet saunas. Situated a long block east of the Schloss along Landgraf-Georg-Strasse.
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Sleeping
DJH hostel ( 452 93; www.darmstadt.jugendherberge.de; Landgraf-Georg-Strasse 119; dm/s €24.40/36.40; ) This 130-bed hostel is 1km west of Luisenplatz on the shores of the Grosser Woog. Take bus L towards Ostbahnhof from the centre.
Hotel Prinz Heinrich ( 813 70; www.hotel-prinz-heinrich.de; Bleichstrasse 48; s/d/tr without breakfast €61/76/82; ) A traditional feel, modern furnishings and overall comfort make this 65-room hotel a solid choice. Midway between the Hauptbahnhof and Luisenplatz.
Best Western Hotel Darmstadt ( 281 00; www.hotel-darmstadt.bestwestern.de; Grafenstrasse 31, 4th fl; s/d from €105/130; ) The entrance, through a parking garage, is unpromising but inside the lobby is pristine and the 77 rooms are spacious, modern and comfortable. Situated one block west of Luisenplatz – very central.
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LOCAL VOICE – BRIGITTE DURST
Germany didn’t become a leader in environmental technologies – with wind farms dotting the landscape and solar panels on suburban rooftops – by accident. Consistent, long-term government strategies and subsidies have played a crucial role, but so has a broad-based environmental movement whose principles and vision have become part of everyday life.
Brigitte Durst, born in 1981 near Karlsruhe, grew up with green ideas. ‘My father is very interested in environmental issues and I always was, too,’ she explained. ‘I remember that when I was maybe 11, I took the garbage from my grandmother to analyse it. I wanted to see what it consisted of – is it more organic, or more plastic? She was not really happy about that!’
Fast-forward to a decade later, when Brigitte had to make some career decisions. Pragmatically weighing her options, she decided to study for an environmental engineering degree, known in German as a ‘Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) Umweltschutz’, in the Rhine town of Bingen. Her favourite courses explored the economics of environmental protection, the life cycle of a consumer product, environmental law and exhaust-gas treatment.
During the fourth and final year of her program of study (2009), Brigitte did a company traineeship near Stuttgart. ‘I worked on the digestion of organic waste by microbes in anaerobic conditions,’ she said. ‘The process I’m working on is called “wet digestion”. Organic waste is brought to the plant. After recycled water is added, everything goes into the digester for 21