Mainz- City of Emperors

Mainz Cathedral of St. Martin (Mainzer Dom) over 1,000 years old

Mainz is able to capture the appeal of almost any visitor.  It has a rich, even fabled history from Roman times  through to the turbulent period of the ruling religious aristocracy of the Catholic Church to the Third Reich and the Jewish persecution. Geographically it sits at the confluence of the Main and the Rhine a strategically critical center for transportation, trade, commerce, defense and wine production.  Over the centuries it was the seat of government and the coronation place of seven emperors.

Mainz visually commands attention.  The grandeur of the city beckons one to explore its history and unravel the mystery behind the aura of  importance this place seems to emanate.  St, Martins Cathedral dominates the central square.  It was the seat of the Archbishop of Mainz- the Episcopal See.  It was consecrated in 911 AD and over the centuries has undergone extensive renovations to conform to the architectural standards of the time.  Wars, natural aging, shifting river beds and fires all forced various structural modifications.  Even today it is in the midst of the major interior and exterior refurbishing.  Like many of the major cathedrals of Germany, it sheer size and grandeur bespeak its importance.

Mainz has a collection of generational  remains in the form of architecture, artifacts, relics and written history to capture one's imagination and cater to the appeal of diverse interests.  It is this diversity that makes this city intriguing.  It is a city to be visited numerous times to begin to appreciate its rich historical heritage:

Christ Church 1898–1903, bombed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1948

• Roman-Germanic central museum  It is home to Roman, Medieval, and earlier artifacts.
• Antique Maritime Museum It houses the remains of five Roman boats from the late 4th century, discovered in the 1980s.
• Roman remains, including Jupiter's column, Drusus' mausoleum, the ruins of the theatre and the aqueduct.
• The Iron Tower (Eisenturm, tower at the former iron market), a tower from the 13th century.
• The Wood Tower (Holzturm, tower at the former wood market), a tower from the 14th century.
• The Gutenberg Museum – exhibits an original Gutenberg Bible amongst many other printed books from the 15th century and later.
• The Mainz Old Town – what's left of it, the quarter south of the cathedral survived World War II.
• The Electoral Palace (Kurfürstliches Schloss), residence of the prince-elector .
• Marktbrunnen, one of the largest Renaissance fountains in Germany.
• Domus Universitatis (1615), for centuries the tallest edifice in Mainz.
• The Church of St. Stephan, with post-war windows by Marc Chagall.
• Citadel.
• Rococo churches of St. Augustin (the Augustinerkirche, Mainz) and St. Peter (the Petruskirche, Mainz).
• Church of St. Ignatius (1763).
• The Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, a botanical garden maintained by the university
• Landesmuseum Mainz, state museum with archaeology and art.