Darmstadt city has approximately 160,000 residents and is located in the southern part of the state of Hesse in midwestern Germany. The city is about 30 kilometers south of Frankfurt, where the European Central Bank’s headquarters are situated in the city’s international financial center. Just a 30-minute drive from Frankfurt International Airport, the largest in Europe, provides for convenient connections.
Darmstadt is home to the Technical University of Darmstadt, the Fraunhofer Institute, and the European Space Operations Center. The town has held the official title of City of Science since 1997, when the Hessian Minister of the Interior recognized it as Germany’s first academic city. Darmstadt has been a major center for numerous German and international scientific research institutions.
Due to Brexit, more and more enterprises and financial institutions are relocating from London to Frankfurt. Darmstadt, a suburb of Frankfurt, is a popular place to move to, but the housing supply is not catching up to the high demand of this increased population. The real estate prices for both rent and sales are rising rapidly. Although it is a medium-sized city, Darmstadt was once ranked as the fourth most expensive city for rentals in the country, after Munich, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart (Most of the recent surveys show Darmstadt ranks within the top 10).
Area map
Climate and Clothing tips
Darmstadt is located in the middle of the Rhine Rift Valley in the Upper Rhine where grapes grow well. It is considered a relatively warm region in Germany with an average annual temperature of 10.1°C. The hottest month of the year is July with an average temperature of 19.3°C, while the coldest month is January when the average temperature stays at 0.9°C. From spring to summer, rain fall is relatively heavy; occasional thunder and hail storms may occur in these seasons. The average sunlight hours in summer are 7.5, and the daytime lasts until after 9 p.m. due to its high latitude. In winter, on the other hand, the average sunlight hours are only about 1.5, causing many winter days to appear cloudy and gloomy. But it hardly ever snows, perhaps a few times a year. Snowfall of 10 cm or more is rare, which makes living easy and comfortable.
As is common in all of Germany, Darmstadt housing is generally well insulated, airtight, and equipped with efficient heating systems. In winter, the whole house is kept comfortably warm and one can go about with short sleeves. Recently, however, many summer days can reach into high temperatures, sometimes 30 °C or higher. Although it is rare to find a house with air conditioning, the humidity is not as high as during the Japanese summer. As long as you stay in the shade, you can spend your time in a comfortable way.
Living
Darmstadt is home to multiple universities, research institutes, and major corporations such as Deutsche Telekom and Merck, and for this reason, many information technology and publishing companies have their headquarters here, allowing students, researchers, other employees, and their families to reside in this city.
As well, immigrant numbers from inside and outside the EU have been increasing in recent years. You can often hear non-German languages spoken in the city. In elementary schools and kindergartens, children with foreign language backgrounds can receive support in German as well as in their native language (mainly EU languages). As Darmstadt is a cosmopolitan city with a quarter of immigrant residents or parents who are immigrants, there are many specialty grocery shops and restaurants, well blended into the traditional German cityscape, including Turkish/Middle Eastern, Eastern European/Russian, East Asian, and African. They
The city offers a wide range of areas where residents can relax and enjoy the lush and beautiful gardens associated with the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, including the Park Rosenhöhe, the Orangerie, and the Prinz-Georg-Garten.
The city center was devastated by aerial bombings during World War II, and as a result, many historical buildings were destroyed. Since the old city was not rebuilt afterwards with the exception of a few buildings, the central commercial district is modern, with theaters and large shopping centers with underground parking lots. On the other hand, the neighborhoods that escaped the bombing remain, revealing a pleasant old town environment with traditional architecture along the charming cobblestone streets. These houses have been especially popular in recent years, as they have been renovated with modern interiors while keeping the elaborate old design of the doors, exterior walls, and high ceilings in the living rooms.
Darmstadt’s Green Party mayor has been promoting a low environmental impact transportation infrastructure and has expanded non-motorized transportation options; streetcars run everywhere in the city, rental electric scooters can be dropped off in various terminals, and bicycles have their own lanes. Traffic jams rarely occur in Darmstadt.
Safety
After Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Hesse ranks as the third safest state in the country. Of the major towns in Hesse, Darmstadt has the lowest crime rate per capita. Compared to Frankfurt, which has a high crime rate equal to that of Berlin, Darmstadt’s safety stands out.
Summary
Darmstadt is a compact city where you can easily ride a bicycle from north to south through the main part of the town in about 20 minutes. This makes for convenient shopping at many supermarkets, ranging from discount shops to high-end natural food markets and even foreign specialty stores. There are also many beer gardens and restaurants that serve international cuisine. Darmstadt provides a plethora of commercial and entertainment facilities such as music halls, theaters, cinemas, shopping malls, sports facilities, museums and zoos, as well as high standard medical and educational facilities, all within a short distance. The city’s diverse population also makes it a welcoming place to live for foreigners who are not familiar with the city.
The city offers its residents the opportunity and positive conditions to secure a high standard of living provided by a stable and transparent tax base and available employment in one of the city’s giant corporations. Residents can enjoy a safe atmosphere amid a lush green environment, with parks scattered throughout the city and surrounding forests for pleasant strolling; plus the convenience of a 30-minute drive to Frankfurt International Airport.
