Vortex Garden in Darmstadt

One of the mostly visited sights in Darmstadt is the Mathildenhöhe complex. It is where the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony was located and where you can still see the exhibitions’ buildings. Part of experience is a visit in the Vortex Garden.

 

 

Usually people find the place just by chance, or can’t find it at all (like me). It is on a private possession, so it is not so obvious that you can freely enter. The address of the garden is Prinz Christian Weg 13. With that in mind it should be way easier to find it.

 

 

The gate is always opened, so you can just enter. Next to the entrance gate you can find brochures in English and German with detailed descriptions of the concept of the park together with a map of sculptures and instalations, their names, authors and origins.

 

 

The visit to the garden should be an artistic and spiritual experience. For this reason you shouldn’t be distracted for example by your mobile phone.

What is this garden all about? It is such a weird place that it is hard to explain. It is suppose to merge different natural forces, enable a flow of energy. If you are interested in more details about the philosophy behind you can read about implosion, permaculture and pantheist movement.

 

 

The garden looks a bit neglected. Furniture is old and in a bad condition, plants are growing wild. Not like in beautifully designed nearby garden Rose Hights (Rosenhoehe). Nethertheless, it has plenty of visitors. You follow the egg-shaped stone paths to walk around the garden. There are 108 of them which resembles the radius of a moon – 1080 miles. Everything has some connection to geometry and numerology.

 

 

Some parts of it are a bit hidden behind the trees and at every corner you discover something new. There are plenty of chairs to sit and meditate or read a book (some are even provided).

 

 

The visit to the park doesn’t take more than 15 minutes if you just want to walk around.

Have you been to the Vortex Garden? Do you find it creepy or inspiring?

To see other interesting places in Darmstadt read my blog post: “Colours of Darmstadt and how to find a secret garden”.