Germany Guide
Hesse
Mathildenhöhe
Website: www.mathildenhoehe.info
From Karolinenplatz, a traffic-free promenade heads east to Mathildenhöhe, the artists' colony founded by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig in 1899. A grove of neatly clipped plane trees, the Platanenhain, stands at the entrance and provides shade for summer boules players. The first building is the tiny, richly decorated Russische Kapelle (Tues– Sun 10am–4pm; donation requested) built for Ernst Ludwig's relatives, the Russian royal family. Behind it soars the 48.5m Hochzeitsturm or Wedding Tower (March– Oct Tues– Sun 10am–6pm; €1.50), designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich as the city's wedding present to the Grand Duke in 1908 and the colony's most prominent landmark. It's an impressive work of architecture, reflecting the eclectic roots of the style: daringly modern for its time yet with copper-clad gables that recall North German brick Gothic. Take the lift to the top to enjoy views which extend to Frankfurt and the Taunus on a clear day, then descend via two richly decorated rooms: the Hochzeitszimmer or Wedding Room and the opulent Fürstenzimmer. The tower still functions as Darmstadt's registry office. Alongside it, the Austellungsgebäude (Tues– Sun 10am–6pm, Thurs until 9pm; €8, or €11 combined ticket with Museum Künstlerkolonie) was built for the 1908 exhibition and is now the venue for major touring art and design exhibitions. The much smaller but more richly decorated Ernst-Ludwig-Haus nearby was built for the 1901 exhibition and functioned as the artists' ateliers. It now houses the Museum Künstlerkolonie (Tues– Sun 10am–5pm; €3, or €5 including temporary exhibitions), a fascinating exhibition on the history and work of the colony. There's a model of the area in the foyer, while the displays document the four great exhibitions and the work of individual members of the colony. Highlights include the dining room Peter Behrens created for the Berlin department store Wertheim in 1902. Afterwards, stroll among the villas to the south of the main complex, many of which have been taken over for institutional purposes. Particularly noteworthy are the Kleines Haus Glückert at Alexandraweg 25, the Haus Olbrich at no. 28 and the Haus Behrens at no. 17.