DARMSTADT

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), southern Hesse Land (state), south-central Germany. Darmstadt is bordered by the Lnder of Bavaria to the east, Baden-Wrttemberg to the south, Rhineland-Palatinate to the west, and the Regierungsbezirke of Giessen and Kassel to the north. The district occupies an area of 2,875 square miles (7,446 square km) and is coextensive with the northern portion of the larger historic region of Hesse-Darmstadt and Nassau. First created in 1945 as the southernmost of two Hesse Regierungsbezirke, Darmstadt was divided by a 1980 administrative reorganization, its northern territory becoming part of the new district of Giessen. Darmstadt Regierungsbezirk takes its name from that of the administrative seat of the district. Central Darmstadt is drained by the eastwest flowing Main River and its tributaries the Nidda and Kinzig. The Main converges with the Rhine River, Darmstadt's western boundary, near the cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz. The fertile Upper Rhine Plain, noted for the production of asparagus and other vegetable crops, extends from the southern border north to the city of Darmstadt, where it broadens eastward to form the Rhine-Main Basin. The basin is surrounded by uplands situated along the district's fringes, including the steep southern scarp of the Taunus uplands to the northwest, the Vogelsberg to the northeast, the Spessart to the east, and the Odenwald to the south. Rail, road, and water transportation networks pass through gaps in the uplands and converge on the large urban industrial complex situated in the Rhine-Main Basin. The principal centres of the complex include Frankfurt am Main, the largest city of Hessen; Wiesbaden, the capital of the Land; and the cities of Darmstadt, Offenbach, Hanau, Rsselsheim, and Bad-Homburg. Large stretches of coniferous forest are found on the sandy soils south of Frankfurt am Main. North of Frankfurt the basin merges with the fertile loess-covered Wetterau plain, the southernmost basin of the West Hessen Depression, which extends between the Middle Rhine Highlands and Hessen Central Uplands from Frankfurt to the northern Hessen border. The Wetterau is protected from cold north winds by the Taunus uplands, resulting in a mild climate supportive of Darmstadt's principal agricultural region. Wheat and sugar beets are the chief crops produced. Population densities in the district range from fewer than 50 persons per sq mi (20 per sq km) in the Taunus highlands west of Wiesbaden to densities averaging more than 1,300 persons per sq mi (500 per sq km) in much of the Rhine-Main Basin. Approximately 60 percent of the population live in cities and towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The Rhine-Main Basin, one of Germany's principal industrial regions, specializes in diversified light industries, most importantly engineering and machine construction, and in chemical industries. Frankfurt am Main is one of Germany's leading commercial cities and communications centres. Offenbach is the nation's major producer of leather goods, and Hanau is an important manufacturer of rubber products. Wine production is concentrated in the Rheingau region located on the steep south face of the Taunus uplands west of Wiesbaden and along the Bergstrasse on the western slopes of the Odenwald. The tourist resorts, mineral springs, and beautiful beech and oak forests of Darmstadt's upland regions offer ideal escapes from the congested urban areas of the basin. Wiesbaden boasts 27 thermal springs, making it a world-renowned health resort as well as an industrial centre. The majority of the population of Darmstadt Regierungsbezirk is of Hessian Frankish descent and speak the Rhenish Franconian dialect. About two-thirds are Protestants and one-third Roman Catholics. The predominant rural settlement pattern is one of large, irregular villages, except in the high upland regions where isolated farms and small hamlets are common. Farmsteads are generally styled after the Franconian (Central German) type consisting of a two-story, half-timbered house and a barn set around a rectangular courtyard entered through a gateway. The district's leading university is Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitt, located in Frankfurt. Pop. (1989 est.) 3,440,194. city, Hesse Land (state), south-central Germany, situated on a gently sloping plain between the Odenwald (a forested plateau) and the Rhine, south of Frankfurt am Main and southeast of Mainz. First mentioned in the 11th century, Darmstadt was by the 14th century a small village held by the counts of Katzenelnbogen. Chartered in 1330, it was deeded to the landgraves of Hesse in 1479. In 1567 it became the residence of the Hesse-Darmstadt line (a grand duchy from 1806), and from 1919 until 1945 it was the capital of the state of Hesse. Its most brilliant period was under the landgrave Ludwig X (17901830), the first grand duke as Ludwig I, under whom the new town was built. Industrialization, especially the development of chemicals, brought rapid expansion in the 19th century. A noted chemist, Justus von Liebig, was born there in 1803. Darmstadt formerly consisted of an old and a new town, and, although badly damaged in World War II, many historic buildings survived, and the city was rebuilt. Notable landmarks include the statue of Ludwig X (108 ft high); the ducal castle (156895); the Kranichstein hunting lodge, now a museum and game park; and the Russian Church (189899), commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in honour of Tsarina Alexandra, a native of Darmstadt. In the Mathildenhhe, east of the city, is the artist's colony established (1899) by the grand duke Ernst Ludwig. To the west, on Kuhkopf Island in the Rhine, is a nature reserve with rare waterfowl. Darmstadt is the site of the Landesmuseum and library, a technical university (founded 1836), schools of engineering, art, and music, and a porcelain museum. The Darmstdter Gesprache, a seminar devoted to intellectual issues and combined with art exhibits, is an annual event. Darmstadt is a highly diversified industrial centre. Its principal manufactures are chemicals, machinery, radios, and kitchen ranges. Pop. (1989 est.) 136,067.