The Mathildenhöhe Artists' Colony is one of the most promising candidates on the new German tentative list, and it is also a site which I would like to see inscribed. The artists' colony was founded in 1899 by the Grand Duke of Hesse to stimulate industry and crafts with innovative ideas. Until the beginning of World War I, several artists of the Art Nouveau showed in four exhibitions their ideas of architecture, design and visual arts. In some ways, the Mathildenhöhe colony represents the transition between Art Nouveau and Modernism. The most influential artists in Darmstadt were the Austrian architect Joseph Maria Olbrich, who had planned most of the buildings, and Peter Behrens, best known for his later industrial buildings and design.

The Mathildenhöhe is a hill close to the city centre, the proposed area comprises the permanent buildings of the four exhibitions, particularly the two exhibition halls and the artists' houses. But it also includes small structures such as sculptures, a water basin, a pavillon. The most striking building is the Wedding Tower, the landmark of Darmstadt.

I used to live near Darmstadt and I have visited the artists' colony many times. I agree with Assif, that it is a nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon. The buildings are very well described in his review below, thus just a few additional comments:

The Orthodox Church was built shortly before the artists began their work, and although it was constructed in the style of Russian churches of the 16th century, it harmonizes well with the whole ensemble in my opinion.

I would also recommend to visit the collection of furniture, tableware, jewellery etc. in the first exhibition hall. You'll get an impression of the broad spectrum of the artists and their ambition to influence almost all aspects of art and modern life.

Six out of eight artists' houses have been preserved largely in their original state. I like best the Behrens house, it was his first work as an architect. Currently, none of them is open to the public. Some are in private property, but others are owned by the city of Darmstadt and are currently used by cultural institutions. There are plans to open one or two of them to the public in the future.

A visit to the artists' colony can be easily combined with a trip to the Messel pit, the distance between the two sites is only eight kilometres. And a nice addition to both is a visit of the Hessisches Landesmuseum in the city centre. The museum shows among other things numerous fossils from the Messel pit and a large Art Nouveau collection, not only by artists of the Mathildenhöhe colony.