Mainz on the Rhine

Travel times from Wiesbaden:
Train –15 mins.
Car – 15 mins.

Finally, wrap up your tour of the region with a visit to Wiesbaden’s next-door neighbor, Mainz. This regal city dates back to Roman times and is closely associated with the reigns of its Prince Electors and the invention of modern printing by one of its native sons.  

The Rhine waterway bustles with shipping as the vital nerve of the metropolis of the Rhine- Hesse region. You can sense the relaxed character of the city during a stroll along the embankment promenade as the people of Mainz saunter along here, filling the benches and green spaces, or sunbathing on the Rhine beaches.

The city is self-confident and proud of its rich culture as one of Germany’s oldest cities. You can experience four thousand years of writing from all over the world at the Gutenberg Museum, where the “Man of the Millennium’s” workshop has been reconstructed.  With a large number of printing implements, old presses and typesetting machines, the history of letterpress printing comes to life. The main focus of the permanent exhibition is a collection of important printed works from the l5th century to the present. The highlights are two copies of the world-famous 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

Mainz’s Marktplatz (Market Place) is a hub of city life.  It is bordered by market houses that were reconstructed after WWII and by the Cathedral complex. The Cathedral is still almost completely enclosed by surrounding buildings that grew up over the centuries, creating a red-tinted sandstone "mountain" of a cathedral. Many of the out-buildings were constructed in the Baroque period and survived the War nearly unscathed.

The Prince-Elector Palace was built from 1729-1740 for Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg, Prince Elector and Archbishop of Mainz, in a style heavily influenced by French Baroque architecture.  Franz Ludwig never had the pleasure of living in the palace, though, as he died during its construction. The site he chose for the palace was in close vicinity to his residence, the Electoral Palace. This means you won’t have far to walk from the Prince-Elector Palace another of Mainz’s main attractions.

The Electoral Palace’s east wing is one of the last examples of German Renaissance architecture. It is a regal building of red sandstone with turrets at each corner and beautiful detailing around the windows.  It now houses the renowned Romano-Germanic Central Museum, an interesting showcase of Roman, Medieval, and earlier artifacts.

Mainz’s most popular area for a stroll is Augustiner Street, the city’s main business thoroughfare until the 17th century. Surrounded by boutiques, cafes, pubs, and residential buildings, the magnificent façade of the towering Augustiner Church stands out. The 18th-century church survived WWII undamaged, unlike many of the city’s other churches. Venture inside to explore the impressive gilded interior in its original state, including ceiling frescoes depicting the life of St. Augustine and the history of the order, which has had its home on Augustiner Street since the 13th Century.


Parts of this text originally appeared in Gemütlichkeit, the Travel Letter for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, www.gemut.com.