Darmstadt - Centralstation

Darmstadt is a city in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area with a population of around 160,000. Darmstadt holds the official title "City of Science" as it is a major centre of scientific institutions, universities, and high-tech companies.

Darmstadt was chartered as a city by Emperor Ludwig IV ("The Bavarian") in 1330, at which time it belonged to the counts of Katzenelnbogen. The city became a secondary residence for the counts. When the House of Katzenelnbogen became extinct in 1479, the city was passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse and was the seat of the ruling landgraves and up to 1918 of the Grand Dukes of Hesse.

During the 19th century, the population grew from little over 10,000 to more than 70,000 inhabitants. In 1942 under the reign of the Nazis more than 3,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps where most died.

After a British bombing raid in September 1944, the old city centre was largely destroyed. During this attack, an estimated 11,000 to 12,500 inhabitants burned to death. Post-war rebuilding was done in a relatively plain architectural style, although a number of the historic buildings were rebuilt to their original appearance.

The Centralstation was Darmstadt's first power station, built in 1888.
The power station was primarily used to supply the electrical street lighting in downtown Darmstadt, the ducal court and the court theatre, and from 1897 also the tram. The plant made Darmstadt, after New York and Berlin, the third city in the world with an extensive power supply.

Today the Centralstation is a cultural place, presenting theatre, readings, lectures, exhibitions and concerts.