Little Darmstadt A-Z [antikvár]

Darmstadt -from the beginning Darmstadt today is not imaginable without its history as a residence. The name probably derives from a forester called Darimund, who used to have his 'stat', or house, here. It is unlikely that the name Darmstadt has its origins in the Darmbach (local stream), another story frequently told. At the time of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, dating from the 1 century, Darmstadt is mainly a second or dowager residence. In 1330, the town charter was received from King Ludwig the Bavarian, implying the right to build a town wall and to hold markets. In 1479, the Katzenelnbogens' lineage ended and the territory passed on to the Landgraves of Hesse. In 1567, Georg I settled in Darmstadt along with a small entourage of 19 servants and 17 horses. This marked the beginning of Darmstadt as a residence. Building activities proliferated and many of the buildings exemplifying the town-scape originate from this period. These include the residence, the Old Town Hall, the City Church, the Herrngarten and the Große -^Woog. From 1678 onwards a time of hunting activities followed under the Landgraves Ernst Ludwig and Ludwig VIII. Several hunting lodges around Darnn-stadt as well as the one found in -^Bessungen and the -^Orangery give testimony to this era. Not only architecture but also culture and esprit grew. The Landgravine Caroline was corresponding with Frederick the Great and Voltaire at this time, as were many others. Hence, Darmstadt turned into a meeting point for the literary avant-garde, the circle of the Empfindsame - age of sentiment -which surrounded Merck, Goethe, Herder and Wieland. Landgravine Caroline's son became the first Grand Duke Ludewig I by Hesse and by Rhine in 1806. During his reign, he granted a constitution to Hesse. He commissioned Georg -^Möller to expand his residence. Moller drafted buildings including the Grand-Ducal -^Theatre, today's House of History; -^St. Ludwig; the Freemason's Lodge and a whole district with prestigious residential homes. The English Princess, Alice, brought new impulses in 1863 when she promoted a nurses' training school