Altstadtmuseum Hinkelsturm
Small museum about Darmstadt's lost old town in a rebuilt tower of the town wall; currently closed following an arson attack.
About the museum
The Altstadtmuseum sees itself as the successor to the municipal museum in the Altes Pädagog, which was destroyed together with Darmstadt's old town in the air raid of September 1944. The Freundeskreis Stadtmuseum Darmstadt (friends of the city museum), founded in 1989, campaigned for a new exhibition venue and from 1994 rebuilt the Hinkelsturm between the two surviving town walls on Lindenhofstraße. First, the zwinger (the space between the walls) had to be cleared of rubble several meters deep.
The project, which cost around one million deutschmarks, was financed almost entirely through donations and the members' own labor. The museum opened on May 31, 1997, and received the Hessian Monument Preservation Prize the same year. The natural-stone tower, about 16 meters high, is entered via an external staircase onto the town wall; the top floor, glazed all around, offers a view over the former old town area.
On three small levels, the museum shows the development of the medieval town and its fortifications, commemorates the dialect poet Ernst Elias Niebergall and his local farce "Datterich," and displayed a large cardboard model of the old town by Christian Häussler on the upper floor. Since 2020 the Heimatverein Darmstadtia (local heritage association) has been responsible for the museum. After an arson attack that destroyed the power supply, the museum is currently unable to receive visitors; the old town model is temporarily on display in the neighboring Justus-Liebig-Haus.
Highlights
- Rebuilt tower between the double medieval town wall
- 1:160 scale model of the old town with around 350 buildings (currently in the Justus-Liebig-Haus)
- Exhibition on Ernst Elias Niebergall and the "Datterich"
- Glazed viewing floor overlooking the former old town area
- Founded
- 1997
- Operated by
- Heimatverein Darmstadtia e. V.
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance is on the town wall and can only be reached via a metal staircase with 38 steps; the upper floors are connected by stairs.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
