Grounded in 1899 as an artist's colony, here is a bit from the Darmstadt web site to whet your…read moreappetite:) Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Glasgow, Barcelona and Darmstadt! This Hessian city made a name for itself among the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) metropolises of Europe. In 1899, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig founded the first artists colony with seven artists, architects, painters and sculptors: J. M. Olbrich, P. Behrens, P. Huber, H. Christiansen, P. Bürck, L. Habich and R. Bosselt. Their first task was to design and build their own living and working quarters and present them to the public. So works of art surround you here as the houses, park and other buildings all belong to the total concept.

The Mathildenhohe is one of the highlights of Darmstadt. There's an interesting permanent…read moreexhibition of Art Nouveau in the museum with a nice little gift shop, and regular more contemporary art exhibitions are held in the main building (I had my first introduction to Hundertwasser here), but they don't always provide English translations. The romantic Russian chapel is in the grounds, and talking of romance many people get married in the Hochzeitsturm (the symbol of Darmstadt), as long as a wedding isn't on you can pay to go to the top of the tower and get a view of Darmstadt. In the summer you can even play petanque in the shade of the plane trees. If you're hungry or thirsty there's a small bistro, with an outside seating area in the summer (you don't have to pay to get into the bistro). It's also worth leaving the grounds and exploring the area a bit, as there are some stunning houses with unique architectural features. Basically if you're in Darmstadt, you must go here.

Interessantes und sympathisches Museum am Rand der Wormser Altstadt, etwa 5 Minuten vom Dom St…read more Peter entfernt. Die Privatsammlung der Familie Heyl bildet den Kern der Ausstellung, ergänzt durch wechselnde Wanderausstellung zu Themen wie z.B. (zur Zeit) der Nibelungensage. Die Dauerausstellung bietet neben Glaswaren aus vergangenen Zeiten v.a. deutsche und niederländische Malerei des 15. bis 19. Jahrhunderts. Die meisten Maler sind eher Insidern bekannt, doch fand ich u.a. einen Tintoretto und ein größer-formatiges Werk von Anselm Feuerbach. Daneben finden sich auch Stilmöbel und einige Skulpturen. Insgesamt eine kleiner, aber abwechslungsreiche Sammlung, die nach dem Besuch des nutzlosen Nibelungenmuseums meine Stimmung deutlich gehoben hat! Nach Besichtigung des Hauses kann man sich im Park hinter dem Anwesen angenehm entspannen, der Zugang dazu ist frei (Einfach rechts vor dem Eingang vorbeigehen). Ein Erwachsenen-Ticket kostet €5, was ich sehr fair finde, zumal es die Wanderausstellung mit einschließt. Für Kinder, Studierende und Gruppen gibt es Ermäßigungen. Die Öffnungszeiten sind Di-Sa von 14(!) bis 17 Uhr, Sonn- und feiertags schon ab 11. Empfehlenswert!

The only Art Museum I was able to find in Worms. It's very small, will probably only take you an…read morehour tops to slowly go through the entire museum and enjoy the art, but they have a great variety of art work there. The main floor is where all their work is housed and it seems like any exhibits that come are in the basement. I was there for a pretty cool modern exhibit (as seen in my video). But they change pretty frequently so you'll never know what you get. The building was owned by a rich family and a lot of the art their is from/ of the family. I love architecture so, as usual, a good part of my time here was spent enjoying the building itself and not just the art. The family who lived here before was very lucky as the home is gorgeous and theirs beautiful gardens outside almost all the windows. My favorite part was these large, almost life sized, statues of the horoscopes depicted as men. Quite fun to try and find which one is yours and see how you identify with it. I want to give a huge thank you to the employees there! So sorry I forgot your name but the gentleman working there during our visit is what really made the experience. He let us wander around and enjoy ourselves, only occasionally coming up to explain an interesting fact about a piece. He was was kind and well mannered, even helped us put our jackets on as we were leaving. Really made the experience special.

I'll start off by saying the museum itself was beautiful and impressive, from the detailed…read moreapartments recreating the Palatinate era to the archaeology collection. I was excited when I saw it included was a children's museum (called Museum of Pedagogy), since I have a five-year-old in tow. Then, the weirdest thing happened. I would ask someone in the museum where the children's museum was (I showed them the words on my phone since I don't speak German) and they would ultimately point me to another end of the museum. So I'd go from one person to another to another, and ultimately ended up in circles. At one point, a staffer said, "This is a MUSEUM. We don't have kids stuff." I left frustrated and ultimately perplexed about the existence of this mysterious children's museum that was depicted on the maps and museum signs.

I'm a lover of museums so this was an absolute must to stop by. But you don't have to be in love…read morewith art or museums to enjoy your time here (though fair warning, you might leave as one). Inside a a beautiful courtyard that's brilliantly designed and filled with statues and greenery, you're treated to a peaceful and royal aesthetic before you even walk inside. Like most museums, you'll be able to take a self guided tour, so if you don't know anything about art, this will guide you. Everyone is sure to find something they like since the small museum is filled with a diversity of time periods and styles. The atmosphere here is so casual and simple that it makes the perfect break from exploring the city. (Or a great cover from the rain like I had to use).