MATHILDENHÖHE

The Mathildenhöhe is a surprising and fascinating place. A colony of artists who, at the beginning of the ^20th century, were able to express their avant-garde talents and experiments here, resulting today in a collection of buildings, each more astonishing than the last.

Situated on the highest point of the city of Darmstadt, you'll stroll through a sort of "amusement park" for the artists of the new reformist movements. Mind you, when we say "amusement park", we don't mean it in a pejorative sense, as the historical value of the site is undeniable and the beauty of some of the monuments striking.

The artists' colony was founded in 1897 by the Grand Duke of Hesse. The artists who worked there laid the foundations for modernism. Various international exhibitions were held here between 1901 and 1914, enabling Mathildenhöhe to develop and acquire a truly international aura.

The colony boasts a total of 23 points of interest, including the emblematic and dominant Matrimonial Tower or Hochzeitsturm (1908), the graceful Russian chapel of St. Mary Magdalene (1897-99), the lily pond at its foot and the enigmatic plane tree grove (1833, 1904-14). Thirteen artists' houses and studios built for the exhibitions complete the picture, including Ernst Ludwig's majestic house with its grandiloquent entrance (1901). In the Matrimonial Tower, don't miss the beautiful decoration of the vestibule, with its two winged figures embracing, created by Friedrich Wilhelm Kleukens in 1914.