Happenings Around Mainz

Introduction

Located in central Germany, Mainz is the capital city of the state of Rhineland Palatinate. The city is steeped in history and has served as an important location since the time of the Roman Empire. The importance of its location, not least of which, is due to the fact that it sits astride the Rhine River and long served as a strategic hub for transport and commerce.

Mainz is well known for its annual carnivals (Fastnacht) which are celebrated just before the arrival of spring. The city is also the home of the prestigious Johannes Gutenberg University, the University of Applied Sciences and the Catholic University of Applied Sciences. The university system has a rather sizeable student population and some claim that this has played a part in the easy going attitudes among the city residents.

Here are a number of quick facts about Mainz:

• It is the birthplace of movable type, invented by Johannes Gutenberg
• Served as a regional seat of the Archbishop Electors during the Holy Roman Empire
• The city was under French occupation from 1792-1814 and from 1945-1949 following WWII. 
• In 1994, it became the sister city to Louisville, Kentucky, USA
• Has a team that plays within the National Soccer League, Mainz 05. 

Sites & Scenery

What follows is a description of the inner city itself. Mainz offers a mix of traditional and modern as perhaps is best represented in its buildings and monuments. For example, to get a sense of the medieval past, one should head to the Altstadt (Old City) district. It is there you will find well preserved examples of half-timbered houses, like the one you may have seen in history books or in illustrations of medieval towns.

As previously mentioned, Mainz has had Roman inhabitants and this is reflected in the various preserved sites that dot the cityscape. One of the more readily accessible examples is the Roman Amphitheatre that sits adjacent the rail station just south of the city center.

One of the best things I like the city is its waterfront. Its is perfect for strolling and is a great place to watch boats travel to and fro and people out to enjoy the day. There is areas offer the possibility for picnics, has a beer garden, observations points for taking photos, an area for kids to play, plenty of places to just relay and enjoy the scenery.By the way, the area is also biker and jogger friendly.

People

Mainz has a very diverse population. Of course the main population consists of native Germans but perhaps the second largest group would be of Turkish descent. Consistent with this fact, eateries specializing in Turkish cuisine abound. The other populace consists of people from various European countries and number of people from around the world. But on the whole, Mainzer as they are typically known, are fairly easy-going and oft-times quite helpful.

Weather

So what about the weather? Well, do to the fact that Mainz sitz along the Rhine River the overall climate tends to be fairly temperate. That is to say, all four seasons are about the same in other temperate climates, winter months tend to be somewhat wetter than in the summer. Winters can be cold but not to the extreme. Summers can be very warm and quite humid. Sometimes, there's the occasional wind storms to endure but no hurricanes or tornadoes, thank goodness!

Getting Around

The transportation system modern and highly integrated. Travelers have options ranging from trains, trams, buses and taxis. Information concerning public transportation can be found by visiting the national rail service homepage Cheap Train Tickets | Timetables for Germany & Europe - Deutsche Bahn and Kurzstreckenticket: Mainzer Mobilität (German language only).

There are also options for bicycle and kick scooter rentals. The main service providers are the companies TRIER How TIER works – TIER and LIME Lime Micromobility | Electric Scooter and Bike Rentals for scooters and Mainz Mobility for bicycles. However, since most points of interest are within close proximity to one another, going pedestrian is also a good option, especially when the weather is nice.

Useful Links

In case of emergency call 113

Mainz informatioin portal, link

General tourist information, link

Informatioin about Christuskirche (Christ Church), link

Mainz Cathedral (St. Martin's), link

Information about the annual carnival, etc., link

Points of Interest Maps

Altstadt (Old City), link

Schillerplatz link

Kupferberg, link

Gutenberg Museum, link

Central Rail Station, link

Christuskirche (Christ Church), link

Antique Ships Museum, link

City Museum, link

Roman Passage, link

Fort Malakoff Park & Rhein Promenade, link

Theodor-Heuss-Brücke (Bridge), link

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Check it out at, link 1 or link 2

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