Darmstadt, the City ofArt Nouveau, offers a unique cultural experience. Palaces, parks and numerous museums present the city from its best side. Darmstadtis located at the foot of the Odenwald. Eight theatres, 18 museums and exhibition houses as well as a large number of libraries, cinemas and galleries present an extensive offer of culture in this major city.
Individual visitors and groups have opportunity to tour the Operations Centre grounds. The minute tour includes the main operations centre and various satellite models as well as a short film on the ESOC's responsibilities and objectives. First designed in the 16th century, the Herrngarten Park is the largest and oldest park in the town centre. It all started with the three largest and several smaller gardens created in the Baroque gardening style as cuisine and herb gardens.
The park owes its fame to Landgravine Caroline, also known as the Great Landgravine, who had the garden expanded in and converted it into the English landscape style by incorporating elements of naturalistic landscape gardening. From to , the garden was converted into a classic-sentimental landscape garden. The Herrngarten, known as the "gud Stubb" to the residents of Darmstadt, is still immensely popular today, serving as the "green lung" for the city and the populated Martinsviertel and Johannesviertel neighbourhoods.
Darmstadt Castle is located in the centre of today's town centre, at the upper end of the Rheinstrasse. That was not always the case, though: back in the time of George I, the palace secured Darmstadt's west side with the palace moat as defence. The new gate was located at the south-western end of the castle, which was mostly used by the farmers from the areas around Darmstadt.
The Residenzschloss was built over a total of six centuries. The most recent structural modifications were made under Landgrave Ernst Ludwig in the 18th century. In , the palace burned down to the outer walls. However, reconstruction efforts were able to nearly completely restore the exterior to that of the pre-war age. The palace museum, founded in , is located in the older section of the palace. Its 22 rooms provide an excellent overview of years of court life in a small palace and the history of the unique landgravate and, later, Grand Duchy of Hesse.
