The German Equestrian Federation has announced the finalists for the 2020 German Developing Pony Rider Championship which will take place in Darmstadt-Kranichstein The regional equestrian federations were allowed to selected their most talented pony riders up to the age of 14 based on a quotum for a 3-day training seminar and selection trial with Cornelia Endres and Oliver Oelrich at the DOKR headquarters in Warendorf Thirty-nine pairs participated in the training seminar and 20 have been selected to compete in this Finals in Darmstadt-Kranichstein This is the first time since 2001 that the Finals' venue has changed The Championships normally take place in Verden but have now moved to Darmstadt due to the corona pandemic The German Developing Pony Rider Championship was created to promote the transition of young pony riders to FEI pony level and to scout for talented pony riders with a potential to make it on a German pony team It is sponsored by the Liselott Rheinberger Foundation which supports the development of youth dressage riders in Germany The finalists for the 2020 Championships are: Two riders have been named reserve: Greta Kotschofsky (Mr Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot the Eisenbahn Museum occupies a railroad depot established in 1898 The museum has been open for over 30 years and has over 40 locomotives and more than 150 carriages in its collection The Museum features working steam and diesel locomotives and frequently-scheduled steam train excursions Historic working steam engines include still-operational DRG 23 042 steam locomotive 4981 "Mainz" (a Prussian G 8) a rack railway steam engine from the Erzberg railway and several DB Class V 36 diesel locomotives The museum operates steam excursions monthly in conjunction with the Deutsch Bundesbahn The Museum is located a short walk from the northern end of tram lines 4/5 a quick 16-minute ride from Darmstadt's city center Luisenplatz The DB Darmstadt-Kranitchstein station is also a short walk away a short 6 minute trip on the regional line to Aschaffenburg from the beautiful Art Deco Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof The National Railway Museum in York is the largest railway museum in the world attracting almost 1 million visitors per year North America's largest accredited model railroad museum This hands-on museum houses roughly 80 vintage pinball machines and arcade games a world-class collection of historic trains An unsuspecting brick building outside Orlando houses decades of train ephemera The train collection of an eccentric New England seafood mogul is now a National Historical Site A crew of die-hard train buffs spent decades turning a defunct stretch of railway in Oklahoma City into a museum now home to over 50 antique and restored trains Take a trip to the past aboard a 1920s railcar or open flatcar for a scenic ride through Maryland farm country Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker After a two year absence from the national competition arena and four years from the CDI circuit Sanneke Rothenberger has put her tails back on and has returned to the show arena At the regional show in Darmstadt-Kranichstein on Sunday 5 July 2020 the 27-year old Rothenberger competed the 10-year old Oldenburg gelding Sankt Anton (by San Amour x Rühmann) in the Intermediaire II class and finished second with 68.860% The eldest of the three riding Rothenberger kids Sanneke led the way to the next generation in the Rothenberger family winning German and European titles from pony level She started her international career on ponies She won silver at the 2005 European Pony Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) with Konrad She was the 2008 European Junior Riders Champion on Paso Doble silver at the 2010 European Young Riders Championships in Kronberg (GER) with Deveraux  gold at the 2011 European Young Riders Championships in Broholm (DEN) with Deveraux bronze at the 2012 European Young Riders Championships in Berne (SUI) with Wolke Sieben and she became the first ever European Under 25 Champion with Deveraux in 2016 in Hagen (GER) Sanneke is the 2016 European U25 ChampionThe path that Sanneke was expected to follow straight onto the German A-squad with a good stock of horses to ride at home Her younger brother Sönke did that for her while Sanneke decided to focus on a professional career outside horses In 2013 Sanneke declared as a senior and rode Grand Prix horses Favourit Her last international show was the CDI Frankfurt in December 2016 on Wolke Sieben at senior Grand Prix level She completely disappeared from the international scene but once in a while got spotted at horse shows as a fan and supporter for her younger siblings In 2017 the Rothenberger family and investor Ralf Uwe Westhoff acquired the KWPN gelding Foreign Affair (by Rock Forever x Scandic x Cocktail) from former Dutch team veterinarian Jan Greve as a Grand Prix hopeful for Sanneke The new duo showed once at a regional show in Neu Anspach in the Prix St Georges Special in July 2017 but after a year the horse was returned to horse dealer Patrik Kittel and resold to Russian Elena Starr After studying at the universities in Nijmeghen and Frankfurt Sanneke Rothenberger fully commited to her professional career in the family's industrial and commercial real estate company Now an Associate in Real Estate Portfolio Management as well as a board member of AAA FFM Sanneke is making her mark as a business professional Sönke and Sankt Anton at the 2017 CDIO AachenHowever After Sönke showed Sankt Anton at Prix St Georges level in 2017 she took over the ride on the Oldenburg gelding The combination rode in one S* class at an indoor dressage show in Ankum in October 2018, landing in the middle of the pack. They then disappeared from the show scene for almost two years. Sankt Anton sustained minor burn injuries in the terrible fire in February 2019 that wiped out the equestrian part of the Rothenberger's estate "Indeed it has been a while," Sanneke told Eurodressage For my job it's easier if I spontaneously decide which show I go to Often competitions that suited Toni would coincide with selection events for Sönke and Semmieke and then there was the horrible fire Both Toni and I suffered from that longer than we expected." Sanneke and Sankt Anton continued together and made a come back to the arena last weekend in Darmstadt to finish second in the Inter 2 Sister Semmie prepares Sanneke's hair for the show"He is such an incredible willing and honest horse with a golden character," Sanneke said about 'Toni' "We have been training towards Grand Prix for a while and he's picking it up well The only thing that still bothers him is his ambition That is why I am absolutely in no haste to overwhelm him Each morning I train together with my parents Each morning his ears are pricked forwards and he's waiting for me to arrive Because of the fire we went through together he's even more attached." Sanneke has been coached her entire life by her parents Sven and Gonnelien but also regularly gets training from Andreas Hausberger Because of the good progress the duo has been making her parents nudged her to go back into the arena "Now that Andreas is coming more regularly and Toni is making such good progress it were my parents who nudged me to compete in Darmstadt," Sanneke confessed "A few days before the show I got really nervous Toni doesn't have that much show experience and a lot runs through your head then Of course there were a few small things to improve Sanneke added that she wants to ride more shows this year but they need to be combinable with her work We've got all the answers in our expert guide.. Every industry is trying to be more sustainable the eco-friendly building design taking the architectural world by storm the world needs to halve its global emissions in the next decade and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 Much of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heating our homes and workplaces so it is vital that efficient heating becomes both a target and inherent to new building design.  ‘The world’s first Passivhaus was constructed in Darmstadt-Kranichstein following a research project by Dr Wolfgang Feist and Bo Adamson on the idea of ‘a house without heating’,’ explains Richard Tibenham building performance expert at climate tech company the first Passivhaus is still performing well and operating as designed.’ The design style has only grown ever since, from student accommodation high rises to health centres, to independently planned cottages and houses. But what is actually is a Passivhaus and how does it encourage sustainable living Read on for everything you need to know about this eco-friendly design ‘Passivhaus is a building performance standard derived by the Passivhaus Institute who are located in Germany,’ explains Richard ‘The standard provides buildings that are energy-efficient Passivhaus translates from German to ‘passive house’, and they are designed to save energy ‘A Passivhaus is designed to have minimal energy requirements for space heating and cooling, and have excellent indoor air quality making it extremely comfortable to live in,’ adds Alex Clifford, architect and founder of Clifford Designs ‘The Passivhaus approach is to concentrate on the fabric of the building producing a super insulated and airtight building that will require only a minimal amount of heating,’ says Alex Passivhaus design therefore centres on five core principles: insulation ‘A passive house not only has lots of insulation but careful detailing to eliminate thermal bridging that allows heat to transfer directly through building junctions or gaps in insulation,’ Alex explains ‘Rather than rely on expensive complexities and gadgets to generate energy Passivhaus places a heavy emphasis on reducing the amount of energy required to operate a building in the first place,’ explains Richard ‘This allows a Passivhaus to operate with low energy demands day or night irrespective of whether the sun is shining or whether the wind is blowing ‘Passivhauses achieve exceptionally low operational energy demand and peak energy loads,’ Richard adds ‘This makes the standard especially well suited to the current transition away from fossil fuel energy sources.' As we move towards green energy and away from fossil fuels Passivhauses need very little energy at all ‘As the Passivhaus Institute in Germany say ‘efficiency is the first renewable energy’,’ says Richard Passivhauses can be certified through the Passivhaus Institute or accredited third-parties A building design must meet the following criteria to achieve Passivhaus certification: A thermal bridge – also known as a ‘cold bridge’ – is a weak spot in the insulation where heat transfer is much higher This could be due to a break in insulation or if the insulation is interrupted by a material with higher thermal conductivity ‘The design tool used to evaluate a Passivhaus design is known as the ‘Passivhaus Planning Package’ (PHPP),’ says Richard ‘Although the PHPP is accessible to anyone with a PC a good degree of building physics knowledge and Passivhaus experience is helpful to navigate the design process,’ he adds Once built, the Passivhaus can be furnished however you like, but sustainable furniture will add a final eco flourish.  ‘Passivhaus stands apart from other design approaches which often claim to be ‘carbon neutral’ on paper but don’t necessarily stack up in reality,’ says Richard ‘Many design options rely on a net-positive summertime energy balance using on-site solar PV to offset wintertime energy consumption and resultant CO2 emissions,’ he adds because it will inevitably lead to excess energy generation during the summer but maintain an energy deficit during the winter ‘Passivhauses avoid this by limiting energy demand at all times but most notably during the winter when most of us are reliant on natural gas heating.’ ‘Passivhauses are not only energy-efficient and low-cost they also provide a healthy and comfortable internal environment,’ says Richard ‘This is largely due to the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system required for the standard ‘Internal room surfaces also provide limited temperature ranges due to the use of high levels of insulation and triple glazing,’ Richard adds ‘This removes the potential for any cold spots or the uncomfortable sensation of being near a cold surface.’ ‘Passivhaus is a proven and measurable design methodology for building low energy homes that are extremely comfortable to live in,’ Alex agrees ‘I would find it very hard to move to a non-Passivhaus now I have become accustomed to the benefits of living in one ‘It even makes going on holiday to stay in damp cold housing a lot less appealing,’ Alex adds ‘A Passivhaus must achieve a very strict level of air tightness to remove heat loss through draughts,’ says Alex ‘Pre-warmed fresh air is then supplied continuously to individual rooms in the house through a MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery) heat exchanger damp stale air extracted from kitchens and bathrooms.’ ‘Passivhaus has a separate standard for retrofitting of existing buildings called EnerPhit,’ says Alex ‘The design principals are the same as Passivhaus but not quite as strict as those for a new build taking into account that it is harder to retrofit existing homes than build from scratch which allows designers to make informed decisions about where to spend money and to understand what cost and energy implications there are in various retrofit measures,’ Alex explains ‘Based on the 2019 Passivhaus Construction Costs guide the pre-pandemic cost uplift for a Passivhaus was found to be 9% when applying ‘best practice’ as compared to a building regulations compliant design,’ Richard explains ‘When Part L of the building regulations is revised in June 2022 this price uplift will most likely shrink furthermore depending on the experience and competence of the design and construction team,’ Richard adds ‘‘Energy-efficient architecture’ can go a long way to reduce projects costs and improve performance so don’t overlook this when setting out.’ Passivhauses are much cheaper in the long run: ‘Because the efficiency is built into the construction fabric this provides a much longer service life than renewable energy generation systems which in turn reduces the whole life cost of the building,’ says Richard ‘Passivhaus dwellings generally incur operational energy demands and costs which are closely aligned with the design intent,’ says Richard ‘This compares favourably to ‘Energy Performance Certificates’ (EPCs) which have a reputation for incurring a ‘performance gap’ the actual performance is often worse than the designed performance ‘Passivhauses achieve this by not only tightly controlling the design process but also tightly controlling the construction process as well,’ says Richard ‘The non-financial and health related costs such as better air quality and damp free environment should not be underestimated,’ adds Alex ‘An EnerPHit renovation typically involves the gutting and deep-refurbishment of a property,’ Richard says ‘Deep retrofit such as this is typically bespoke incur long pay-back periods and are hence far less popular than new-build Passivhaus buildings ‘This is unfortunate because this type of approach is exactly what is required to achieve the global decarbonisation agenda,’ Richard adds ‘The fact that it is so expensive to retrofit buildings at a later date demonstrates why it is so important to build them well in the first place or at least have a cost-effective means of futureproofing built into the design.’ ‘For the retrofit of existing houses the EnerPHit standard is less likely to make short term commercial sense,’ Alex adds ‘but investment in housing stock needs to be thought of long-term including energy costs.’ ‘Both the AECB (Association for Environmentally Conscious Builders) and LETI (originally ‘London Energy Transformation Initiative’) offer standards suited to UK housing stock that are designed to deliver energy efficient resilient and healthy homes,’ says Alex ‘Not needing third party certification If Passivhaus and EnerPHit are out of your budget, you could try eco flooring or designing an eco bathroom. According to The Passivhaus Trust, there are currently over 1500 certified Passivhaus and EnerPhit units in the UK, with a further 330 certified projects, and 6000 units under development. Certified projects are entire developments, such as blocks of flats, schools and university buildings, while certified units are individual flats or houses within bigger projects. In 2016, there was approximately 60,000 certified Passivhaus buildings across the globe, from Canada to Japan, and including nearly all European countries.  ‘Yes!’ says The Passivhaus Trust. ‘Because if you don’t, you won’t have quality assurance that the building performs as it has been designed.’ ‘Certification is a rigorous process that proves that the house has been built to meet specification and standards set out at the design stage,’ Alex adds. ‘The ‘Performance gap’ in new build housing (where the final build does not meet the design criteria) is a huge issue and many new builds in the UK underperform, largely due to poor build quality and lack of quality control.’ ‘The Passivhaus certificate demonstrates to others that the building has achieved the required design performance. This removes uncertainty if the building is sold or let,’ says Richard.  The Livingetc newsletters are your inside source for what’s shaping interiors now - and what’s next. Discover trend forecasts, smart style ideas, and curated shopping inspiration that brings design to life. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the curve. Olivia Emily is one of the most exciting new talents in consumer lifestyle journalism. Currently finishing off a Masters in Journalism at the City University, London, she has quickly proved herself at being adept on reporting on new interiors trends. A regular contributor to Livingetc, she is brilliant at being able to decode information for our audience. “Where on earth is that?” But they’ll soon add Darmstadt to their bucket list when they see your selfies with the absolutely stunning Mathildenhoehe in the background And that’s just one of Darmstad’s many attractions This colorful ensemble is made of a wedding tower (Hochszeitsturm) The golden domes considerably add to the beauty of the architecture which boasts a great collection of Jugendstil textiles To learn more about the history and architecture of the building and see its historic reservoirs still filled with water sign up for the guided tour offered by Mathildenhoehe Tobias Arhelger / Shutterstock Though Hessisches Landesmuseum houses an extensive collection of artwork, it is more famous for its natural history exhibits. Here, you can see fossils excavated in Messel Pit, a quarry near Frankfurt am Main as well as the remains of a gigantic American mastodon Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock Waldspirale is the last and among the most celebrated works of Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who designed a series of unique buildings across Germany and Austria The building symbolizes the intricate connection between human beings and nature its wavy terrace is crowned by a whole forest of beech Tim Hasselmann / unsplash Zoo Vivarium is the perfect destination for families. It is not just another zoo but has emerged as a significant institute of conservation by adopting numerous national and international breeding programs including that of endangered European macaques The animals can be observed going about their daily lives in their almost-natural habitat The chance to pet little African goats is of special appeal to children © lapping / Pixabay Parc de Rosenhöhe is a gorgeous oasis right in the midst of the city Locals come here to take a break from the bustle of city life among a sea of roses a stroll through the park will take you past several interesting landmarks including the striking Löwentor guarding the park entrance a picturesque teahouse with a golden roof and intricate paintings Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Botanical Garden of Darmstadt University of Technology Botanical Garden The 4.5 hectare Botanical Gardens maintained by the Darmstadt University of Technology is any botany enthusiast’s dream come true and yet another great place to bond with nature The garden is home to a whopping 9,000 plant species including a range of rare examples housed in an arboretum greenhouses and alpine garden when you visit Reinhard Frank / Shutterstock For a city, Darmstadt has a really impressive green feel. Herrngarten, the largest and oldest park in Darmstadt is another pristine oasis where you can feel one with nature This is the locals’ favorite spot to hang out with friends the Goethe monument and the memorial stone for Princess Elisabeth the park hosts concerts in its music pavilions Sina Ettmer Photography / shutterstock Bioversum Kranichstein has a wonderful program to help you understand various aspects of nature and the environment which encourage touching and experimentation are designed to be engaging for the younger members of your family too Schloss Kranichstein enjoys a picturesque location in the midst of thick beech forest Sina Ettmer Photography / shutterstock Book Tour Luisenplatz was once the political center of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and housed the Old Palace (the residence of the Grand Duke) the Kollegiengebäude (the seat of government) and the Ständehaus (seat of the Landtag) the Luisencenter (housing the town hall) stands in place of the palace The most important landmark here is the Ludwigsmonument erected in 1841 in honor of Grand Duke Ludewig I Several administration buildings are also located here and events are often hosted in this square If you happen to be one of those millions of people who love trains you are guaranteed a great few hours at Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum It boasts an admirable collection of locomotives deepen your technical understanding about the working of trains See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October See & Do Germany's Most Beautiful Abbeys and Monasteries Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best Weekend Trips From Heidelberg Art 10 Masterpieces You Can Only See in Munich See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn See & Do A Guide to River Cruises in Germany: What to Know Design The Most Beautiful Churches in Berlin See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd a photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of a row house built in 1991 in Darmstadt this pioneering Passive House project has been producing its own electricity thus fulfilling the criteria of a Passive House Plus building The official certificate was recently issued “Passive House buildings are perfectly equipped to utilise renewable energy With their extremely low heating energy demand it is even possible to derive as much energy from the sun on-site as is consumed in the house over a year” Together with his wife Witta Ebel he recently accepted the Passive House Plus certificate Wolfgang Feist built the world’s first Passive House thereby establishing this energy efficient construction Standard the founder and director of the Passive House Institute and his family have lived in the terraced housing complex in the Darmstadt city district of Kranichstein the Feist family installed a photovoltaic system on the roof of their house with a surface of 26 m² in order to utilise the sun’s energy Passive House has contributed to the second step of the energy revolution In addition to being highly energy efficient it also generates on-site renewable energy What matters here is that the energy demand of a building is considered and optimised separately from the energy generation the upper limit for the total demand for renewable primary energy is 45 kWh/(m²a) at least 60 kWh/(m²ta) of renewable energy must be generated based on the projected building footprint The electricity consumption is therefore very low even with the operation of the ventilation system The same also applies for the air-to-air heat pump that was recently installed for test purposes this past autumn which is used for heating as well as ventilation in the Passive House This electrically operated heat pump should use approximately 30 Percent of the energy consumption that was previously required with natural gas for the gas heating system In the summer the surplus electricity produced by the photovoltaic system in Darmstadt-Kranichstein is fed into the public grid the produced amount would suffice for supplying the whole house for one year and the surplus electricity in summer could be stored for the winter this kind of seasonal storage is not a reasonable option but in the network this “gap” becomes smaller and storage becomes much more cost-effective This is what needs to be done in future” The 2024 Nurnberger Burgpokal qualification season has reached its penultimate round at 2024 CDI Donaueschingen on 13 - 15 September 2024 historic show in Donaueschingen has changed show management his year and is currently under the care of Matthias Rath's company Schafhof Connects With classes in three disciplines - dressage driving - and a plethora of exhibition classes and plenty of entertainment in the trade fair On a national level the CDI Donaueschingen includes the seventh of eight Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifiers and the finals of the Piaff Forderpreis for German Under 25 riders The Nurnberger Burgpokal for developing Prix St Georges horses is a bastion on the German dressage scene the show circuit and finals are a clear pathway for talented FEI level horses towards the top Numerous future champions and Grand Prix team horses came through the Burgpokal system For 2024 the Nurnberger Burgpokal circuit includes eight qualifiers (Hagen The winners of each of the 8 qualifiers will compete in the finals in Frankfurt alongside the four highest scoring second placed riders at these qualifiers So far qualified are Juliane Brunkhorst (Diamante Negro - 75,683% and La Belle Noire - 73,000%) Dorothee Schneider (Barcelo OLD - 75,756%) Charlott-Maria Schürmann (Life Time - 76,878%) and Thomas Wagner (Escolar’s Emil - 73,854%) Lena Hassmann added herself to that list as she won the Prix St Georges Special aboard Schafhof's KWPN bred Maddox Mart (by ) As a young horse the stallion was produced up the levels by Swedish Jessica Lynn Thomas before Hassmann took over the ride The second placed pair in Donaueschingen is Spaniard  Borja Carrascosa aboard Filippo di Marco's 8-year old Italian bred Hanoverian Franky Di Fonteabeti (by Franklin x Wynton) but that score is not high enough to be amongst the four high scoring second-placegetters to be considered for the finals The 8th and final qualifier is scheduled for 17 - 20 October 2024 in Darmstadt-Kranichstein The finals traditionally take place in Frankfurt With one more show to go the three second-place finishing combinations already sure for a spot in Frankfurt are Charlott-Maria Schürmann (Dante’s Pearl - 73.659% in Hagen) Lucie-Anouk Baumgürtel (First Vienna FH - 73.121% in Balve) and Lena Haßmann (Chère Celine OLD - 72.902 in Elmlohe) Photo © Stefan Lafrentz