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The city of Darmstadt is located on the sloping plain between the Odenwald plateau and the Rhine River in south central Germany, in the state of Hessen south of Frankfurt am Main. First mentioned in the 11th century, it received a town charter in 1330. Ruled by the counts of Katzenelnbogen in the 14th century, it was deeded to the landgraves of Hessen in 1479.The French burned the town twice in the late 17th century. When it became a grand duchy in the early 19th century, the first grand duke Ludwig I expanded the town by building a new section. From 1919 to 1945 it served as the capital of the state of Hessen. It was heavily damaged in World War II, but much of its old city survived and the new city was rebuilt. Historic structures include the 108-foot tall statue of the landgraf Ludwig X, the ducal palace, 1568-95, and the Russian Church, 1898-99, commissioned by Tsar Nicholar II for his wife the Tsarina Alexandra who was born in Darmstadt. The city also boats of a technical university, a school of engineering, art, and music, The Darmstädter Gesprache, a seminar with accompanying art exhibits, is held annually. It was a wide range of industries, including the production of kitchen ranges, radios, machinery, and chemicals. The 2004 estimated population was 139,400.