DARMSTADT, diirm'stAt (Ger., city of the Dorm, the river near which the city lies). The capita] of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Germany, and residence of the Grand Duke, about midway between the Rhine and the Alain, at the north western extremity of the fhlenaraId, and 17 miles south of Frankfort-am-Alain (Alap; Germany, C 4). It consists of an old and new town. the streets of the former being narrow and crooked, but those of the latter broad and handsome, ex hibiting many imposing specimens of architec ture. Its principal square, the Luiscnplatz, adorned with a lofty column, surmounted by a bronze statue of Grand Duke Louis. L, who founded the new town, contains the post-office, the Governnient building, and the old palace. The Grand Ducal Palace, by pleas ant gardens, was begun in the fifteenth century, but practically rebuilt in the early part of the eighteenth. It contains a valuable library of some 500.000 volumes, an a••lu•ological collec tion, and a pictore gallery with sonic good ex amples of the early German and the Netherlaml ish masters. The elief-d'amyre is the so-ealled Aleyer :Madonna, by Ilolhein the Younger. Promi nent among numerous churches are the Stadt kirehe, with the handsome monument of Laud grave George 1., and the Roman church built after the Pantheon at Rome, .with a lofty dome supported by twenty-eight columns. Other notable features include the new palace, the palace of Prince Henry, the old and new town halls. theatre, and the llerrngarten, a line public garden and park. Darmstadt is the
seat of glivernment for the grand duchy and for the province, and of the pnivineial eourt of ap peal. The town's affairs are administered by a munieipal emmcil of 42, and an executive board of 3 members. it owns its water-supply, and operates gas-works and an eleetrie-light plant. Its eduent howl institutions include two gym nasia. a sehool, technical school, the Mu nicipal Victoria School, and several elementary schools. Among its charitable institutions are a municipal hospital and the Alice and provincial hospitals.
Darmstadt is a manufacturing town of grow ing importance. The chief articles of indu4try are machinery, carpets, hats, tobacco, chemicals, scientific instruments, playing-cards, and beer. Darmstadt is an important railway centre. An electric street railway accommodates internal traffic. The famous chemist ;Instils von Liebig was a native of the town, and the composer Flotow died here. To the east of the town is the Palace of Rosenhiffie. with the grand-ducal mausoleum, containing the tombs of the Grand Duke Louis IV. and his wife. Princess Alice of England. Population, in 1890, 56,000: in 1900, 64,000.
Darmstadt appears as Darmundstadt in the eleventh century. It acquired municipal rights in 1330, and became in 1567 the capital of Hesse Darmstadt. It was burned by the French in 1688 and 1693, but attained great prosperity toward the end of the eighteenth century.