History

The original Palace Museum was established based on an initiative of the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in what were formerly the representation and living rooms of the older part of the Palace. Opened in 1924, art work displayed in the museum originate mainly from the old palace inventory which became the Grand Duke’s private property after his abdication. In September 1944, the Palace burnt down almost completely, all showrooms and the storerooms, including a large part of the collection, which had been only partly evacuated, were destroyed. Reconstruction efforts succeeded in achieving the re-opening of the museum in 1965. In the reconstructed rooms of “Kirchen-and Glockenbau“ and the so-called Assemblée-rooms the collection traces the history of the former Landgraviate and Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt through four centuries. Portraits, fine pieces of furniture and handicraft reveal not only the history of the House of Hesse and its connection to other European Dynasties but also the history of Darmstadt as a royal residence.