Darmstadt Off The Beaten Path Tips by Trekki Top 5 Page for this destination
Darmstadt Off The Beaten Path: 15 reviews and 30 photos
Groß Umstadt, Renaissance City Hall
In the general section I already mentioned that Darmstadt was heavily bombed and most of what had been a beautiful old town was destroyed. Only some city districts we have half timbered-houses.
BUT: as Darmstadt is close to one of the official scenic or vacation roads, the German Half-Timbered House (Framework) scenic road, it is only a hop in car or bus or on the bike to go to Dieburg or Groß Umstadt, which are located on the southern Hesse part of this road.
Groß Umstadt is located east of Darmstadt, at the slopes of Odenwald hills and called “Weininsel”, which means wine island. I was a bit amazed about this, as the region is not at all known for wine, but local colleagues told me that the wine is not that bad. I will give it a try in summer. The village is quite old, already Romans settled here in 2nd century AC. During Medieval times, it was reigned by dukes, who built several noble courts, some of which are still intact today. The beautiful Renaissance City Hall (main photo and details in photo 5) was built in 1596 and has been restored very beautiful. Around the market square, some lovely half timbered houses are grouped, among them one which hosts a local bank. I found the sign (photo 4) so cute, as it has a memory to our good old Deutsche Mark days – a Pfenning is hanging over the bank icon (the S).
Groß Umstadt’s website shows where all of the half timbered houses are located, and I can tell you that they are all beautiful and worth a walk around in town. It must be quirky and fun in summer, when all the restaurants (there are many) have their tables and chairs outside.
Location of Gross-Umstadt on Google Maps.
© Ingrid D., tip date: February 2008 (update March 2011: location on Google Maps added).
Website: http://www.gross-umstadt.de/stadt_info/index.htm
Art Nouveau façade - Moosbergstrasse 60
Als already mentioned in the to-do section, Darmstadt was famous for Art Nouveau development end of 19th century. Mathildenhöhe is the most famous part of town for this architecture. However, also in Bessungen, the old district south of the city centre, some superb buildings can be found. It simply needs some walk away from the main streets and a strong will to "get lost in Bessungen" :-) I did it on a beautiful crisp and cold sunny winter day some time ago.
Oh my, I was really surprised to find some real gems of our town..... :-)
This specific building, for those who want to see it in reality and not only on the photos, is in Moosbergstrasse No. 60, which is a left turn from Heidelberger Landstrasse, when heading south (see Google Map screenshot).
It is said to be the only fully preserved Art Nouveau façade in Darmstadt, built in 1905. Look at this exquisite artwork details ! The roses at the lintel for example (main photo), or the peacocks.
Well, and a special thanks to my digicam for being able to zoom in so nicely (and me for standing still when pressing the button, haha).
Location of Art Nouveau House, Moosbergstrasse, on Google Maps.
© Ingrid D., tip date: January 2006 (update March 2011: location on Google Maps added).
More Reviews (60)
Darmstadt Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Discovering Darmstadt with the eyes of a tourist"
- "Opera and Cycling in Darmstadt"
- "Darmstadt: a City of Surprises"
- "Exploring & discovring a jewel off the beaten path"
- "A Fleeting Look at Darmstadt"
- "Michelstadt"
- "Art Nouveau capital Darmstadt"
- See All...
Explore the World
- Marbella Hotels
- Kananaskis Lakes
- Spanish Town Hotels
- Bonifacio Hotels
- Foz do Iguaçu
- St. John
- Cedar Rapids Hotels
- Piran
- Eureka Off The Beaten Path
- Page Off The Beaten Path
- Montana Off The Beaten Path
- Copenhagen Off The Beaten Path
- Jackson Off The Beaten Path
- Isla Mujeres
- Day Trip
- Salford Quays/Lowry/War Museum
- Munich Off The Beaten Path
- Cebu City Off The Beaten Path
- La Rochelle Off The Beaten Path
- Leuven Off The Beaten Path
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 0 3 0
- Forum Rank:
- 0 0 0 6 6
- 2,240 Reviews
- 9,476 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Darmstadt
- 62 Reviews
- 240 Photos
- 3 Forum posts
- 64 Comments
- 21,087PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (68)
Have you been to Darmstadt?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Darmstadt
- Posted in Travel Italy Forum "Re: Where to go besides the..."
- Commented on one of Catsik48's Darmstadt tips
- Uploaded a Photo to "Coffee and cake on Mathildenhöhe"
- created a Darmstadt Travelogue "Travelogue 21 - test"
- Wrote a Review Culinary delights from Eritrea in Darmstadt Restaurants
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Venice
Intro, 118 reviews, 473 photos, 7 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Italy
Intro, 108 reviews, 398 photos, 9 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Marburg an der Lahn
Intro, 90 reviews, 407 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Gubbio
Intro, 80 reviews, 330 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Land Rheinland-Pfalz
Intro, 77 reviews, 293 photos, 2 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Speyer
Intro, 55 reviews, 271 photos, 7 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Umbria
Intro, 60 reviews, 264 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Darmstadt
Intro, 62 reviews, 240 photos, 21 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Germany
Intro, 81 reviews, 190 photos, 9 travelogues
-
London
Intro, 40 reviews, 202 photos, 6 travelogues
Friends
See All Friends (136)Latest Darmstadt hotel reviews
- Maritim Konferenzhotel Darmstadt
- 31 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 25, 2013 - Hotel Aron
- 2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 16, 2010


Food and Dining
Photography
Backpacking