The villa on the edge of the Mathildenhoehe was built in 1908 for Paul Ostermann, the director of the collection of the grand duchy, by Alfred Messel, the architect of the state museum. The classsical style of the villa bears no relation to the Art Nouveau of the neighbouring Artists‘ Colony. Today Ostermann House, also known as Alfred-Messel-House, is the home of "Hessen Design“.

In 1902, Olbrich built for Wilhelm Deiters, director of the first exhibition of the Artists‘ Colony, the house with the distinctive corner tower at the east entrance to the Mathildenhoehe. With a surface area of 8.9 by 9.5 metres, Haus Deiters was the smallest of the seven homes which Olbrich had designed for the exhibition "A Document of German Art“ in 1901.

The Exhibition Hall on Mathildenhöhe, which opened in 1908 together with the Hochzeitsturm, is the venue for outstanding special exhibitions of international contemporary art as well as art and culture around 1900. The tension between contemporary presentations and cultural-historical positions of the turn of the century results in an extraordinary and vital programme in which utopias and a spirit of departure meet a striking sense of form and reality.

The Exhibition Hall remains closed due to general renovation.

The "Hochzeitsturm“ (Wedding Tower) and the Exhibition Hall (1907-1908) were the work of Joseph Maria Olbrich. Hidden under the hall is the fascinating vault of a walled water reservoir, a technical masterpiece.

The reservoir was built between 1877 and 1880 to the plans of the engineer Otto Lueger at the highest point of the Mathildenhoehe – and at the time fed the city’s water supply network.

The art and natural history collections of the counts and grand dukes are the foundation of today’s Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt (HLMD, Hessian State Museum). With its mixture of art, culture and natural history exhibits, the museum is one of the oldest all-round museums in Europe. In a close cooperation between Grand Duke Ernst-Ludwig and Alfred Messel, the building was specially designed for the different collections and was formally opened in 1906.

Accessibility is achieved in the HLMD to the best of its ability - as far as this is possible in an old building. In the house there are ramps, lifts, which can be used by physically disabled persons, and barrier-free toilets. In addition, there is an audioguide for blind visitors, who support the specially designed six touch models.

In the basement of the museum the museum café "HERZBLUT & ZINKE", offers warm dishes made from fresh, local produce as well as coffee and cake.

Partner of the DARMSTADT CARD:

reduced admission

The Artists' Colony Museum in the Ernst Ludwig House built in 1901, documents the history of the Darmstadt Artists' Colony (1899-1914) on the Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.

The museum provides a comprehensive overview of the creative work of universal artists such as Joseph Maria Olbrich and Peter Behrens. The idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk as the ideal of the Art Nouveau movement is brought to life in spatial ensembles. The museum's sculpture studios, built in 1904, host special exhibitions from the 19th century to the present.

Downhill from the museum lie seven of the eight artists‘ houses, which were show-cased during the first exhibition in 1901 (three further exhibitions were held in 1904, 1908 and 1914).

The Artists' Colony Museum is certified for accessibility in the "Reisen für Alle" project.

The detailed information can be found here: www.reisen-fuer-alle.de

Partner of the DARMSTADT CARD:

reduced admission

In 1894, Czar Nikolaus II of Russia married Princess Alix, the youngest sister of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig, who commissioned the building of the Russian Chapel. It was inaugurated in 1899 and was used by the family of the Czar whenever they visited. The architect was Louis Benois of St. Petersburg. Today, it is the church of the Russian orthodox community in Darmstadt.

The Institut Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt is an internationally oriented multi-disciplinary centre for the fine and applied arts. With its distinctive Exhibition Hall including the Wedding Tower, the Artists' Colony Museum and the Municipal Art Collection, it is in every respect an exceptional place for researching, presenting and communicating art and culture since 1900, with a special focus on the present. The aesthetic heart of Darmstadt beats here. The Institute preserves the cultural heritage of Darmstadt's unique Artists' Colony and dynamises this historic setting of Art Nouveau for the present day.

On the occasion of the exhibition of the Artists’s Colony in 1914, the Platanenhain, a grove of plane trees planted in the 1830’s, was decorated by the sculptor Bernhard Hoetger with a row of sculptures and reliefs, which symbolise the circle of life.

The residence of the architect Olbrich was built in 1901. It was damaged in the second world war and in a much simpler form, re-built in 1950/1. Today, only the blue and white tiles on the facade remind one of the original house. Joseph Maria Olbrich lived here until his premature death in 1908. Today the building is home to the German-Polish Institute. The white marble fountain at the edge of the property depicting a young boy drinking was created by the sculptor Ludwig Habich.

When Darmstadt's main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) was opened in 1912, it was the first through station in Germany. The building, designed by Friedrich Puetzer, contains many Art Nouveau elements. Artists of the Mathildenhoehe, such as Heinrich Jobst who was responsible for the reliefs over the main entrance, also participated in the design.

Information on the services offered at Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof can be found at www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-de/Darmstadt_Hbf.html.

Accessibility:

If you need assistance with entry, transfer and disembarkation, mobile service staff will be there to help you.

Olbrich had actually designed the house in 1901 for the sculptor Rudolf Bosselt, one of the first seven artists of the Artists‘ Colony, who was however unable to finance its completion. The furniture maker Julius Glueckert took over responsibility for the building in addition to his exhibition house, the Large Glückert House, and furnished it as his own residential home.