Darmstadt is famous for its Jugendstil art nouveau buildings. Many of the buildings survived the massive destruction of Darmstadt in September The Grand Dukes used to live in what is now the Schloss Marktplatz. Much of the old town was destroyed in carpet bombing by the Allies during World War II , and most of what is still standing was reconstructed after the war. Darmstadt also lost its status as the capital of Hesse after the war, that honour now lying with the nearby city of Wiesbaden.
The popular recreational drug Ecstasy was first synthesised in Darmstadt in by a chemist known as Anton Kollisch while he was working for the pharmaceutical company Merck. The element Darmstadtium, element on the Periodic Table, is named after the city. Perhaps as many as 11 atoms of this short half-life element have been synthesized to date. If you speak German, the name might sound peculiar to you as the word "Darm" means "intestine" in German, though - as locals are quick to point out - the etymology of the name has nothing to do with intestines large or small.
For those continuing their journey to Darmstadt by public transport, the Darmstadt Airport Shuttle bus service AirLiner is far more convenient than the train. Buy your ticket from the bus driver. The AirLiner stops at both terminals of the airport. Look for bay 14 across the street from terminal 1. At terminal 2 the stop is right in front of the terminal. In the opposite direction the bus goes directly from the station to the airport. The freeways A5 and A67 go by to the eastern end of Darmstadt.
Expect a traffic jam here in the morning. You can also reach Darmstadt via the B3 and B26 main roads. The B3 runs in northβsouth direction, connecting Darmstadt with Frankfurt in the north and Heidelberg in the south. It runs largely parallel to the A5 freeway. The B26 runs eastβwest and is the main connection to Aschaffenburg.
The inner city is a system of tunnels and one-way roads for passing traffic. This can be a bit confusing. Darmstadt and its surroundings are designated as tariff area This area is further subdivided into several zones numbered 40xx, Darmstadt city is zone Fares vary depending on the number of zones touched.
