the capital of the grand duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, and of a cognominal circle in the province of Starkenburg, is situated on the banks of the small stream Darm, from which it takes its name, fifteen miles S. of Frankfort-on-the-Main. It consists of an old and a new town, with three suburbs, and has a population of about 31,000. The Darm separates the old from the new town. The former, which is inclosed by old walls, has a gloomy uninteresting appearance; the latter is regularly built, and has many handsome edifices. Among the principal buildings are the new palace, the residence of the grand duke, the old palace containing a large picture gallery and a public library of nearly 200,000 volumes, a fine new Catholic church, the Lutheran city church, the arsenal, exercier-haus (drilling-house), theatre, and several barracks. It has also a gymnasium, a normal school, a school of arts and sciences, numerous literary and scientific institutions, and several museums and public gardens. Darmstadt is the seat of the government and the principal courts, but is a place of little trade. The chief manufactures are tobacco, wax candles, carpets, paper, jewellery, &c. In the fourteenth century Darmstadt was only a village, belonging to the Counts of Katzenellenbogen. In 1380 it was raised to the rank of a town. The male line of the house of Katzenellenbogen becoming extinct by the death of Philip in 1479, Darmstadt passed by marriage into the house of Hesse. In the war of Smalkalde the town was taken by the imperial army. After the death of Phillip the Magnanimous in 1567 the town fell to his youngest son George, who there fixed his residence, and was the founder of the line of Hesse-Darmstadt.