Mathildenhöhe

Frankfurt & Southern Rhineland

LoginSave

Established in 1899 at the behest of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig, the former Künstlerkolonie (artists' colony) at Mathildenhöhe is famous for its Darmstädter Jugendstil architecture. Its on-site museum displays supremely elegant Jugendstil furniture, tableware, textiles, ceramics and jewellery.

Prices for temporary exhibitions vary. The area is surrounded by a lovely hilltop park with fountains; on the western slope is a Russian Orthodox chapel. From the centre, take bus F.

Free one-hour tours in English take place at 4pm on the first Thursday of each month.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Exterior of Staedelsches Kunstinstitut museum (Museum Staedel), Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany.

    Städel Museum

    15.63 MILES

    Founded in 1815, this world-renowned art gallery has an outstanding collection of European art from masters including Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Renoir,…

  • Germany, Hesse, Frankfurt, view of Frankfurt Cathedral, Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomaus.

    Kaiserdom

    16.15 MILES

    Frankfurt’s red-sandstone cathedral is dominated by a 95m-high Gothic tower, which can be climbed via 328 steps. Construction began in the 13th century;…

  • Germany, Frankfurt, Senckenberg Museum; Shutterstock ID 443693980; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: 100 Cities Guides app image downloads

    Senckenberg Museum

    16.61 MILES

    Life-size dinosaur mock-ups guard the front of Frankfurt’s natural history museum. Inside the early 1900s neo-baroque building, exhibits cover…

  • Römerberg square and Justice fountain, Frankfurt

    Römerberg

    16.11 MILES

    The Römerberg is Frankfurt’s old central square. Ornately gabled half-timbered buildings, reconstructed after WWII, give an idea of how beautiful the city…

  • Grube Messel

    Grube Messel

    4.64 MILES

    A Unesco World Heritage Site, this one-time coal and oil shale quarry 10km northeast of Darmstadt is renowned for its superbly preserved animal and plant…

  • Barockschloss Mannheim

    Barockschloss Mannheim

    28.76 MILES

    Mannheim’s most famous sight is the yellow and red sandstone Schloss, Germany’s largest baroque palace. Now occupied by the University of Mannheim, the…

  • Gutenberg-Museum Mainz

    Gutenberg-Museum Mainz

    19.42 MILES

    A heady experience for book lovers, the Gutenberg Museum commemorates native son Johannes Gutenberg, who in the 15th century ushered in the information…

  • Heiligtum der Isis und Mater Magna

    Heiligtum der Isis und Mater Magna

    19.78 MILES

    In a darkened, dungeon-like space, a glass walkway leads you around this extraordinary Roman archaeological site, which was discovered in 1999 during the…

View more attractions

Nearby Frankfurt & Southern Rhineland attractions

1. Kirche Hl Maria Magdalena

0.06 MILES

Mathildenhöhe’s western slope is graced by the three golden onion domes of this mosaic-adorned Russian Orthodox church. It was built from 1897 to 1899 for…

2. Schlossmuseum

0.62 MILES

Ornate furnishings, carriages and paintings pack the Schlossmuseum, one block east of Luisenplatz. It occupies the southeast corner of the Schloss complex…

3. Hessisches Landesmuseum

0.65 MILES

An exceptional selection of works by pop artist Joseph Beuys is the highlight of the wide-ranging art collection at the Hesse State Museum. Other displays…

4. Luisenplatz

0.78 MILES

Darmstadt’s focal point is the 18th-century Luisenplatz, a veritable hive of activity thanks to the adjacent shopping precinct, which stretches south from…

5. Grube Messel

4.64 MILES

A Unesco World Heritage Site, this one-time coal and oil shale quarry 10km northeast of Darmstadt is renowned for its superbly preserved animal and plant…

6. Grube Messel Museum

5.41 MILES

Fossils excavated at Grube Messel are on show in Grube Messel's own museum, in a pretty half-timbered house.

7. Burg Frankenstein

5.78 MILES

Built by Lord Konrad II Reiz von Breuberg around 1250, this hulking, partly ruined hilltop castle was visited by Mary Shelley on her German travels in…

8. Museum Giersch

15.5 MILES

Lesser-known Frankfurt-area artists from the 19th and early 20th centuries are the focus of the special exhibitions at this neoclassical riverside villa,…