Mainz - the wine capital of Germany

Mainz (German: Mainz) is a city in western Germany located on the Rhine River. It is the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz has a long history - as early as the 1st century AD it was a large fortress on the northern borderlands of the Roman Empire, called Mogontiacum.

Because of this, nowadays it is not uncommon to discover some remnants of the Roman Empire during construction work in the city, such as a temple of Isis, a Roman theater or the hulls of Roman ships. Mainz has been the seat of a bishopric since the 4th century, and later the coronation place of German kings and emperors. There has been a university there since 1477. Throughout history, Mainz has developed as an important trading center, especially due to its location on the Rhine River.

Mainz is famous as Germany's wine capital - as it is the home of the German Wine Institute and a town surrounded by numerous vineyards. It is also more widely known as the capital of printing - thanks to Johannes Gutenberg, who was born there, and his invention, which changed so much of world history.

Mainz - attractions of the city and region

Despite quite a lot of destruction after World War II, the city boasts many preserved or well restored buildings and sites worth seeing. Are you interested in Mainz? Start your tour with the most important and interesting attractions. Below is a list to help you with this.

Mainz - attractions in the center - Market Square and Old Town.

The market square, surrounded by colorful townhouses, is the perfect place to relax and enjoy one of the local Rhenish wines. Mainz's Old Town consists of the area around the cathedral, where there are quite a few half-timbered townhouses saved from bombing. This style, so popular in the 19th century in the territories belonging to Prussia, had been known since the Middle Ages.

While there, the first thing to see is Liebfrauenplatz - the central place of Mainz, bustling and lively. It's worth going there especially on Saturday, when it's filled with stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers.

Cathedral of St. Martin and St. Stephen (Mainzer Dom)

This is a Romanesque church dating back to the 11th century, which was rebuilt in the 13th and later in the 18th century. It is one of seven imperial cathedrals located in western Germany. Its six towers are a landmark on the city map. Inside one can find, among other things, two choirs, east and west, located opposite each other, as well as many tombs of the archbishops of Mainz and valuable monuments of sacred art.

St. Stephen's Church (Stephankirche)

The origins of this church date back to 990. It was first a Romanesque church, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style over the years 1267-1340. During World War II it was severely damaged and needed to be rebuilt. It is especially worth a trip to see the blue stained glass windows with Old Testament themes by Marc Chagall.

The artist worked on them until his death in 1985. In this way he wanted to make his contribution to Jewish-German postwar reconciliation. In addition, noteworthy in the interior of the church are a 13th-century altarpiece and a beautiful 16th-century tabernacle.

Gutenberg Museum of Printing Art

The museum has been in existence since 1900. Gutenberg was born and lived in Mainz in the 15th century. There he invented an apparatus for casting individual type from metal, which he collated into columns and reflected using a press he constructed. At the Mainz museum, visitors can participate in printing workshops, see a replica of Gutenberg's original printing workshop, a printing studio, the earliest surviving examples of prints, book bindings, as well as later printing presses or displays on the history of writing.

New Synagogue

It was erected in 2010 on the site of the old synagogue, blown up by the Nazis in 1938. This rather unusual, modern building is intended as a gesture of reconciliation with the Jewish community persecuted during the Nazi era and an invitation to its return to the city. The form of the building's body refers to the Hebrew word "kaduscha," which means to exalt, to bless.