The History of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

See our history in a detailed line-up.


The Technische Universtität Darmstadt can look back on a history of more than 170 years. It developed from a higher vocational school which was located in the Frankensteiner Hof in the Pädagogstraße into a TU. In those days, higher classes could be divided into either a chemical or mechanical classes. Already a few years later, a new building was established for the vocational school near Kapellplatz. A class for construction and agriculture was also established and therefore, in 1867/68, the Landtag decided to enlarge the school to a polytechnic institute. In 1869, it opened its doors as Großherzoglich Hessische Polytechnische Schule. Already then, Mechanical Engineering was one of the departments.

In 1877, Darmstadt's Polytechnikum received the name and status of a Großherzoglich Technischen Hochschule (technical university under the protection of the grand duke), together with the universities in Munich and Braunschweig. About 20 years later, in 1895, new buildings were constructed in the Hochschulstrasse at the Herrngarten. These buildings are still used today for university purposes and are under monument protection. In 1899, the Technische Hochschule was authorized to issue the academic degrees Diplom-Ingenieur and Doktor-Ingenieur.

Rückansicht des Insituts für Druckmaschinen und Druckverfahren 1953
Belastung bei der Überkopfmontage (Quelle: VW)
Forschungsfahrzeug UNI-Car der Hochschularbeitsgemeinschaft
Picture: Maschinenbau TU Darmstadt
Das Zahnrad bei der Demontage