Mainz - more than television, Baroque and Carnival
Mainz has more than 200,000 inhabitants and is both capital and biggest city of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Moreover, it is seat of the Johannes Gutenberg University, the electorate of Mainz as well as several radio and TV stations, for example RPR / ZDF. Mainz is located on the west bank of the river Rhine and embedded in vineyards of Rhenish Hesse and Rhinegau. With the neighbouring Hessian capital of Wiesbaden it forms a kind of country covering double centre.
Being over 2,000 year old, Mainz has a very rich history featuring different architectural times. Founded once by the Romans, the historical Old Town with small alleys, lanes and half-timbered houses still today charms with medieval flair.
Biggest and most important city square is the Gutenberg square which was dedicated to the city’s son Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the modern printing press. In Mainz you can see the marking of the 50th latitude, a state theatre established by Georg Moller and the most important building of Romanticism, a cathedral built between the years 975 and 1009.
One of the last buildings of the „German Renaissance“ is a castle directly situated on the Rhine banks. Some churches and courts of former Mainz Baroque nobility can as well still be seen.
Mainz is, beside its culture and attractions also a town for shopping. The promenade Augustinerstrasse offers a Roman's passage with more than 35 specialized shops. Gastronomically Mainz has to offer around 400 restaurants and cafés.
Mainz is home to Carnival ”Mainzer Fassnacht”, also called the 5th season of the year. Together with Cologne and Düsseldorf, Mainz counts as one of the three crazy cities of Rhenish Carnival.
More information: http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/online/html/default/hpkr-5nkek8.en.html
Photo: Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock
