Blog Archives

Künstlerkolonie, Darmstadt

These photos were taken in Darmstadt (Hesse), Germany.

The artists’ colony “Mathildenhöhe” was founded in 1899 by Ernest Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and the first exhibition of the artists’ colony took place in 1901. Ernest Ludwig motto was: “My Hesse should flourish, and the art in Hesse too” and he brought together several artists of the Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) in Darmstadt: Peter Behrens, Hans Christiansen, Ludwig Habich and Joseph Maria Olbrich.

Herrngarten, Darmstadt

The Herrngarten is the biggest and oldest park in Darmstadt, Germany.

Frankenstein Castle, Germany

The castle Frankenstein is situated about 5 km south of Darmstadt (Hesse) and was built in the year 1250. From the year 1363, the castle was splitted into two parts and owned by two different families of the Lords and knights of Frankenstein. During the 15th century the castle was “modernized” and expanded. In the 18th century the castle was falling into ruins and the two remaining towers are the historically inaccurate restorations from the 19th century.

The influence of the castle on the work of Mary Shelley (Gothic novel “Frankenstein”) aren’t grounded in facts, because she never visited the castle during her journey on the river Rhine.

Nowadays, American soldiers stationed in Darmstadt founded an annual Halloween festival at the castle. This event became one of the biggest Halloween festivals in Europe.

Kaisertempel, Eppstein

The pictures were taken in Eppstein (Hesse), Germany. The picturesque city lies west of Frankfurt am Main and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains.

The Kaisertempel was built in 1894 as a memorial to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian War (1870/71). This victory unified the German Empire under King Wilhelm I of Prussia. From the area, you have a wonderful view of Eppstein as far as Bremthal.

Eppstein Castle (Hesse), Germany

The pictures were taken in my hometown Eppstein. Eppstein is a town in Hesse (Germany), lies west of Frankfurt am Main and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains.

The ruins of the Eppstein castle were mentionend as “Ebbensten” in the year 1122 and were the home of the Lords of Eppstein, who ruled the territories of the Rhine Main area. The castle includes a museum with an old baroque altar and some books written by early travel writers who refer to Eppstein.

Now, the legend about the castle: The strong and handsome knight Eppo built the castle Eppstein and rescued the beautiful damsel Bertha from Bremthal from a giant. He slung the giant into a valley to death and took one of his ribs. You can see the rib above the castle gate (but it’s from a whale and not from a giant…)

Frankfurt am Main (Hesse), Germany

Frankfurt (a. M.) is the largest city in Hesse and the 5th largest city in Germany. Situated on the River Main (“ford” engl.),  Frankfurt is the largest financial centre in continental Europe and it is the home of a number of major banks and brokerages. Most of these banks are situated in skyscrapers and contain the two tallest skyscrapers in the European Union, the Commerzbank Tower and Messeturm.

The Römer (“Roman” engl.) is a set of three buildings located in the Römerberg and it was the city hall of Frankfurt for 600 years. 

The famous old opera house (Alte Oper) was built in 1880 by the architect Richard Lucae and the building was one of the major opera houses in Germany until it was heavily damaged in World War II. Until the late 1970s it was a ruin, with the nickname: “Germany’s Most Beautiful Ruin”. The public pressure resulted in a fully reconstructed and reopened Opera in 1981. The inscription on the frieze says: “Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten” (“To the true, the beautiful, the good”).

The IG Farbenhaus (IG Farben Building) was built from 1928 to 1930 as the headquarters for the german chemical industry conglomerate and was the largest office building in Europe and remained so until the 1950s. After World War II, the IG Farben Building served as the headquarters for the Allied Command and was returned to the German government in 1995. Today, the complex houses the Westend Campus of the University of Frankfurt, which includes the departments of Philosophy, History, Theology, Art and Music, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Cultural and Civilization Studies, the Center for North American Studies and the Fritz-Bauer-Institute.

Church in Groß-Umstadt

These photos were taken in Groß-Umstadt (Hesse, Germany) in the city church.  Groß-Umstadt is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt (Main) and at the northern border of the Odenwald.

The secretive door

The photo was taken in Groß-Umstadt (Hesse) behind the city church.  Groß-Umstadt is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt (Main) and at the northern border of the Odenwald.

The shabby backyard

The photo was taken in a small backyard in Groß-Umstadt (Hesse), Germany. Groß-Umstadt is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt (Main) and at the northern border of the Odenwald.

Staatstheater Darmstadt

The Staatstheater was found in the year 1972, when the new building was finished at the Georg-Büchner-Platz and was renovated in the years 2002 – 2006.

Up