History
- About 600 a.Chr.: - first fixed settlements in the later city area
- About 900: - first church in the village of Bessungen (2 km southern)
- End of 11th century: - 'darmundestat' is the first written name
- 1330: - Darmstadt becomes 'city' certified by Kaiser Ludwig the Bavarian
- 1567: - residence of the Landgraf (landgrave), the city flourishes
- 1716/1727: completion of the Renaissance Castle in baroque style
- 1810/45: - big western city expansion under master builder Moller
- 1819: Moller's Old Court Theatre with 2000 seats opened; 1944 destroyed, reconstructed 1988-94, now housing the Hessian State Archives
- 1846: 'Main-Neckar' railways (Frankfurt a.M.-Darmstadt-Mannheim) starts
- since 1872: forced industrialization, several new apartment house quarters
- 1877: - the former 'technical grammar school' (of 1826) is inaugurated as Technical University (TH)
- 1899/1909: - artists' colony Mathildenhöhe; Hochzeitsturm (wedding tower) finished 1908 (now Darmstadt's symbol)
- 1901/1914: - four 'Jugendstil' (Art Nouveau) exhibitions on Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt is one European center of new arts
- 1935: - first German 'Reichsautobahn' part (Frankfurt-Darmstadt, 25 km) opened
I>1944: - heavy allied air war attacks: 12.300 dead, 70.000 homeless, 78% of inner city area destroyed,
only 50.000 inhabitants left in Darmstadt
- since 1945: - U.S. armed forces 'infect' Darmstadt's youth with chocolate, chewing gum, jazz, and their easy going lifestyle
- 1972: - new State Theatre: three stages under one roof
- 1975: - Darmstadt becomes 'Town of Europe'; now partner of 15 communities
- 1978: - new City Hall (Rathaus) with congress hall opened,
inner city vehicle tunnel system and pedestrian's malls finished.
