Gude! (Hello!)

Steven lives in Heimstättensiedlung, a neighbourhood in Darmstadt's south-west:

The neighbourhood looks back on an interesting history. The “Siedlung” was founded in 1932 to give unemployed people the opportunity to build their own houses in self-help. Each settler was given about 1000 square meters of land at a low ground rent. After all the houses were completed, they were raffled off among the future families. In the past, many displaced persons from Bukovina and Hungarian Germans also lived in the Heimstättensiedlung.

The “Siedlung” is an extremely quiet and somewhat secluded neighbourhood, which is nevertheless well connected to the city center by public transport. I especially like the forest area around the “Siedlung”. Whether hiking or jogging, here you can still retreat into nature. In addition, the neighbourhood is well supplied with supermarkets, restaurants, bakers, butchers, banks and a pharmacy. A little insider tip: Heimstättensiedlung has the best Dürüm in all of Darmstadt.

After a few minutes of walking you arrive at the Luisenplatz from where you can basically get to every part of the city by train or bus, but it‘s also known for its numerous possibilities for shopping.

From there you can easily get to the Schloss (the castle in Darmstadt) or the Herrngarten, where you can relax a little. The Hochschulviertel also isn‘t far away, but of course you cannot only study here, even though the name „university district“ indicates that. My personal favourite is the café Wellnitz at the Kantplatz next to the University – a cup of coffee or tea and something nice to eat is the perfect way to finish an exhausting uni-day.

We live here in between the action and the relaxation. On one hand is campus Stadtmitte just 5 minutes away by bike and bus, on the other hand, are the soothing woods of Fasanerie, an old hunting ground right next to it. Right around the corner is also the Bürgerpark. It gives a wide variety of different sports activities. The more classic ones like basketball and football, but also different ones e.g. weight training, javelin throwing and there is also a biker park. Also, the Nordbad is here.

Located in the immediate neighbourhood of the tram station Jahnstraße, the dormitory is still part of the Steinberg neighborhood, which lies east of Bessungen and south of the Paulusviertel. Several dormitories, including the “Lux” dormitory and the dormitory in the old police headquarters, are located close to each other in Nieder-Ramstädter Straße. This offers a great and collegiate atmosphere, which can be nice and quiet, but also brings a lot of contact opportunities. By bike, you have great connections – you can get to the Lichtwiese campus within 5 minutes and I also made it to the city center from the doorstep to the lecture hall in 10 minutes. If you like it a bit more comfortable, the tram is the best way to get there. Unfortunately, the nearest supermarket is a bit far away, but there is a small kiosk at the tram stop in Jahnstraße, which is very convenient, especially for a quick breakfast on the way to the lecture.

It starts at the city centre, passes the Lichtwiese campus, Ludwigshöhe and ends at Nieder-Ramstadt which is half the way to the Odenwald.

To make the geography a bit more clear, I live around Roßdörfer Platz.

I must say, I am quite happy with my place, maybe it is not as picturesque as I would like it to be, but a lot of eye-pleasing places are just 5-10 minutes away, including Paulus- and Martinsviertel, Woog and Mathildenhöhe. Frankly speaking, the location is really good. 5 minutes to the city centre and 10 to 15 minutes walk (depending on how energetic you are) to Staadmitte campus, where all my classes and student jobs are located, and just a couple of minutes longer till the Unisportzentrum (also an important destination for students).

Grocery shops, bakeries, post office, ice cream shops, laundromat, and drogerie are all just 2 to 5 minutes away, which spares a lot of effort and time.

The are a lot of green sights as well where one can go jogging or just for a long walk. Rosenhöhe and Darmbach are like 20 minutes away, and there one can easily forget that this is still within the city limits.

I can only recommend my location!

Here I live, on the very edge of the quarter, on Hoffmannstrasse. What can I tell you… The location of the quarter is perfect for a student of TU Darmstadt. It is right between the Stadtmitte Campus and the Lichtwiese. I need only 5 minutes by bike to go to the university. I can easily reach all the restaurants, bars and cafes in the city center and Bessungen. The neighborhood is very quiet and is characterized by a lot of green. You can go for great walks, because there are many nice quiet streets. Especially you can go to Paulusplatz, which is beautiful both in winter and summer. There you can read or take a break from your studies. But my absolute favorite thing where I live is my shared flat. The common life with us it works out quite well and we always support each other. We are also absolute fans of the supermarket, which is open until 24:00. The supermarket is only 3 min walk away and this possibility to go shopping late has saved us several times the hunger or also given very nice dinners.

Agata appreciates a calm neighbourhood:

It is a quiet area with lots of walking and shopping opportunities, relatively little traffic noise and yet it is not far from the centre. You can reach Luisenplatz in about 15 minutes and Lichtwiese in 30. It's even faster by bike. There are also two train stations nearby. The possible disadvantages are that there are only a few (but very nice) cafés and that there are often changes in the transport timetable. But if you don't want to live in the centre, Arheilgen is a good choice. 

I have to admit, commuting isn't for everyone, but I can handle it. I used to always take the regional train, but currently I prefer to take the S-bahn. Most of the time I'm on the train for about 3 hours per day at university, which is quite a lot, but I pass the time listening to music, watching series or studying when an exam is coming up. Frankfurt is the city I grew up in and identify with, so I can't imagine ever leaving this city. Everyone I love is here and that's why I commute. The student city of Darmstadt is great and I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live independently in a hall of residence with my fellow students. But my parents help me through everyday life in addition to everyday university life, e.g. shopping or cooking. And I also help them and I like living with them, so it's better for me that way. I didn't want to leave my hometown or my university in the other city and I didn't have to. Sometimes you don't have to decide, you find a compromise and that's mine.