Darmstadt

Geography

Geographical position

Four natural areas meet in Darmstadt: The western part of the city is located in the Upper Rhine Plain. This is followed in the southern part of the city by the narrow fringe of the Bergstrasse, which begins here. The southeastern part of the city is part of the Vorderer Odenwald up to Mathildenhöhe. The northernmost point of the Odenwald lies on the B 26 near the Institute of Botany and Zoology. The northeast of Darmstadt, on the other hand, belongs to the Messeler Hügelland natural area. Among others, the Darmbach flows through the city and the Modau in the southern district of Eberstadt.

As a regional center, Darmstadt is also the central location for the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg and Odenwaldkreis as well as the municipalities of the southern district of Groß-Gerau, an area with a total population of around 650,000. Neighboring centers are Frankfurt am Main in the north, Aschaffenburg in the east, Heidelberg and Mannheim/Ludwigshafen in the south, and Mainz in the northwest.

Neighboring communities

Darmstadt borders the district of Offenbach to the north and the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg to the east, south and west. It borders (clockwise from the north) the municipality of Egelsbach, the towns of Langen and Dreieich (all three in the district of Offenbach), the municipalities of Messel, Groß-Zimmern and Roßdorf, the town of Ober-Ramstadt, the municipalities of Mühltal and Seeheim-Jugenheim, the towns of Pfungstadt, Griesheim and Weiterstadt, and the municipality of Erzhausen (all in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg).

City division and districts

The urban area of Darmstadt is divided into nine districts. For statistical reasons, they are divided into statistical districts, each of which is numbered. Of the total of nine districts, five belong to the inner city (districts 100 to 500) and four to the outer districts (districts 600 to 900). In detail, there are the following districts:

No.	Designation	Area in hectares	Population (2017)	Note
100	Darmstadt Center	232,7	20.200	a. o. with city center and Eichberg quarter
200	Darmstadt North	1.231,0	32.219	including Johannesviertel, Martinsviertel and Waldkolonie with Europaviertel
300	Darmstadt East	2.757,7	14.688	with Mathildenhöhe and Woogsviertel, among others
400	Bessungen	552,4	14.874	incorporated on April 1, 1888
500	Darmstadt-West	1.514,7	18.901	a. o. with Heimstättensiedlung
600	Arheilgen	1.126,0	17.682	incorporated on April 1, 1937 (*)
700	Eberstadt	1.808,4	23.479	incorporated on April 1, 1937 (*)
800	Wixhausen	2.322,8	6.212	incorporated on 1 January 1977
900	Kranichstein	655,0	11.907	- —
	Darmstadt	12.200,7	159.982

(*) With the incorporation of Arheilgen and Eberstadt on April 1, 1937, Darmstadt became a major city.

Darmstadt's social geography shows a relatively strong divide between affluent and socially weaker neighborhoods, which has existed since the 19th century. In the core city (excluding outer districts), there is a clear east-west divide with the wealthiest residential neighborhoods on the eastern outskirts of the city from the Komponistenviertel in the north through Rosen- and Mathildenhöhe, Lichtwiese and Paulusviertel to Ludwigshöhe in the south. The city center with its reconstructed post-war buildings is average, while Johannesviertel and Martinsviertel in the north and Alt-Bessungen in the south are among the more desirable residential areas due to their partially preserved old buildings, where gentrification processes have been taking place since about 1975. In contrast, the western part of Darmstadt is characterized by a strong mix of commercial, residential and former military use, so that many conversion areas are located here and the high immission levels from industry and traffic as well as the partial lack of social infrastructure cause urban development problems. On the other hand, the west is the only inner-city area where a significant amount of new residential space can still be created to alleviate the general shortage in Darmstadt. Thus, this area along the Main-Neckar railroad as Weststadt has been the focus of Darmstadt's urban planning since the turn of the millennium and is undergoing major changes.

Climate

Darmstadt is located in the temperate climate zone. The average temperature is 10.1 °C. The warmest month is July with 19.3 °C on average. The coldest month is January with an average of 0.9 °C.

Darmstadt and the Rhine-Main region are located at the northern end of the Upper Rhine Plain, which is climatically one of the warmest regions in Germany. The annual average temperature of 10.1 °C (long-term average for the reference period 1981-2010) is above that of other German metropolises (Berlin 9.0 °C, Hamburg 9.1 °C, Munich 7.7 °C). The sun shines longest in July, averaging 7.5 hours a day. In December, the sun shines the shortest with an average of 1.2 hours a day. The climate is therefore quite mild overall. In the period from November to January, there are on average only one to two hours of sunshine during the day. The average precipitation is 765 mm per year.

Snow lies in winter on average on about fifteen days. The snow depth rarely exceeds ten centimeters and the snow usually does not stay for long. White Christmas occurs on average every 10 years.

The summer is quite warm with highs around 25 °C (on average eleven days a year even over 30 °C); in addition, it is slightly changeable with occasional showers or thunderstorms, but this is also the sunniest time with seven to eight hours daily.

The extreme values are about -21 °C in winter and about +39 °C in summer. The highest temperature ever measured in Darmstadt was 39.5 °C, measured on August 7, 2015. The lowest temperature ever measured in Darmstadt was -26.9 °C, measured on January 19, 1940. The average annual temperature increased by about 0.4 to 10.1 °C between 1981 and 2010.

The average annual precipitation was about 600-700 mm. The most precipitation falls in July, the least in April on average from 1981 to 2010. The average humidity is about 76%.

The prevailing wind direction is west.

Climate diagram from 1981 to 2010, for the city of Darmstadt

 

Luisenplatz with Ludwig monument


Darmstadt in the Rhine-Main area: view of St. Paul's Church with Frankfurt skyline


City layout graphically


View through the Wilhelminenstraße to St. Ludwig

History

The name "Darmstadt

The origin of the name Darmstadt is unclear. The oldest preserved mention of the settlement under the name Darmundestat dates back to the 11th century, several centuries after the settlement was founded. The attempts to explain the origin of the name are very different:

• The local press prefers the explanation that Darmstadt was the fortified settlement of a royal Wildhübner named Darimund.
• Another interpretation sees the name as a derivation of the terms darre for gate or obstacle and mund for protection, thus Darmundestat would be a settlement at a fortified passage.
• Another derivation wants to recognize the Celtic word stems dar for oak or tree and mont for mountain.
• Furthermore, it is also tried to see in the Darmbach the origin of the name. Following this theory, Darmstadt would be either the site at the torrent (Dam-unda-stat) or the site at the moor brook (Darm-unda-stat). Against this thesis speaks, however, that the Darmbach was called so according to current knowledge only later.

Darmstadt is the only German city after which an element, Darmstadtium, was named.

→ Further detailed explanations of the name derivation in the parallel article: History of the city of Darmstadt

Historical name forms

Historically documented mentions of the place are (in parentheses the year of mention):

• Darmundestat (2nd half 11th century)
• Darmistat (1234)
• Darmstat
• Darmestat (1315)
• Darmstad (1377)
• Darmbstadt (1451)
• Darmstatt (1477)
• Darmstait (1479)
• Darmstadt (1488)
• Darmbstadt (1555)
• Darmstatt (1586)
• Darmbstatt (1600)

Incorporations

The municipality of Bessungen was incorporated on April 1, 1888. On April 1, 1937, Arheilgen and Eberstadt were added, as well as about 25% of Griesheim, including the military training area with the August Euler airfield, the Tann settlement and what is now Sankt Stephan. Wixhausen followed on January 1, 1977.

Spin-offs

On January 1, 1977, the St. Stephen's Settlement, with a population of about 2,000 at the time, was returned to the neighboring city of Griesheim.

Deserts

Klappach was a hamlet from the 13th to the 15th century, located south of the village of Bessungen near Darmstadt.

Population development

On April 1, 1937, the city's population exceeded 100,000 due to the incorporation of Arheilgen and Eberstadt. During World War II, the city lost about 40 percent (45,000) of its residents between 1939 (115,000 residents) and 1945 (70,000 residents). By 1953, the population had returned to its pre-war level. Darmstadt's population reached its previous high on December 31, 2016, with 159,982 registered residents.

The following overview shows the population figures according to the respective territorial status. Up to 1833, these are mostly estimates, thereafter census results (highlighted in color) or official updates of the respective statistical offices or the city administration itself. From 1843, the data refer to the "local population", from 1925 to the resident population and since 1987 to the "population at the place of principal residence". Before 1843, the number of inhabitants was recorded inconsistently.

Year Inhabitants 1570 1.220 1600 1.515 1619 2.400 1634 2.000 1636 1.100 1648 1.000 1676 1.790 1700 1.895 1772 9.800 1804 11.219 1816 15.391 1830 23.242 Dec. 3, 1846 26.300 Dec. 3, 1861 28.526 Dec. 3, 1864 29.225

Year Inhabitants Dec. 1, 1871 33.800 Dec. 1, 1875 37.273 Dec. 1, 1880 41.199 Dec. 1, 1885 43.146 Dec. 1, 1890 55.883 Dec. 2, 1895 63.168 Dec. 1, 1900 72.381 Dec. 1, 1905 83.123 Dec. 1, 1910 87.089 1 Dec. 1916 71.410 Oct. 8, 1919 82.367 Jun 16, 1925 89.465 Jun 16, 1933 93.222 May 17, 1939 115.196 Dec. 31, 1945 69.539

Year Inhabitants 13 sep 1950 94.788 25 Sep 1956 123.306 Jun 6, 1961 136.412 Dec. 31, 1965 140.066 May 27 1970 141.224 Dec. 31, 1975 137.018 Dec. 31, 1980 138.201 Dec. 31, 1985 134.181 May 25, 1987 134.272 Dec. 31, 1990 138.920 Dec. 31, 1995 138.980 Dec. 31, 2000 138.242 Dec. 31, 2005 139.103 Dec. 31, 2007 142.191 Dec. 31, 2008 142.310

Year Inhabitants Dec. 31, 2009 143.332 Dec. 31, 2010 144.402 Dec. 31, 2011 145.845 Dec. 31, 2012 150.155 Dec. 31, 2013 149.743 Dec. 31, 2014 151.879 Dec. 31, 2015 155.353 Dec. 31, 2016 157.437 Dec. 31, 2017 158.254 Dec. 31, 2018 159.207

Census results highlighted in color

Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz with White Tower after a postcard from about 1899


Darmstadt in 1816, a watercolor by Johann Heinrich Schilbach


Oldest city map of Darmstadt from ca. 1759 by (Kaspar Ludwig) Bettenhäuser. (Note: East is up here.)


Darmstadt - Excerpt from Topographia Hassiae by Matthäus Merian 1655