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The Schillerplatz is one of the central and historically significant squares in Mainz. Named after the poet Friedrich Schiller, it is today a lively meeting place with a striking historical backdrop, characterized by magnificent noble palaces such as the Osteiner Hof and the Erthaler Hof. Its baroque appearance bears witness to the urban development of past centuries, and the square is closely linked to the Mainz Carnival: Every year on November 11th, the fifth season is ceremoniously opened here. In the center of the square, the Carnival…
In the midst of the Rheinhessen orchards, between Bingen, Ingelheim, and Gau-Algesheim, the "rheinwelle" glimmers and sparkles in the sun. The shape of the building is unusual. It is modeled after the course of the Rhine and "flows" through the adjacent orchards. The bathing facilities range from a 25-meter sports swimming pool with a one-meter and three-meter diving board, to a learning pool for beginners, and an adventure pool with a current channel, wave ball, giant slide, climbing fish, and climbing wall. The little bathers can enjoy…
The Settlement Stone About 7000 years ago, humans already settled here. They lived in so-called longhouses, which served as living space, storage, and stabling all at once. This stone was created in memory of the archaeologically proven oldest settlers of Westhofen. Also, pay attention to the inscription on the plate donated by Mr. Hilgert. The inscription on the plate reads: Here, the first farmers and livestock breeders of the Neolithic era, Band Ceramic and Hinkelsteinkultur settled about 7000 years ago. In one…
ONE OF GERMANY’S MOST DAZZLING POETS WAS BORN IN BINGEN Stefan George was born in Bingen-Büdesheim on 12th July 1868, the son of a wine merchant and inn keeper. Even as a child, he gravitated towards ritual, religion and national ideas. After completing his secondary education, George travelled throughout Europe and was in contact with major authors and artists of his time. Right from his early works, there is evidence of a renunciation of everyday reality. Followers and admirers of the young poet very soon formed the elite “George group”. He…
Colloquially, the building is jokingly referred to as "Fuchsbau" – in reference to the then-serving mayor Jockel Fuchs – or "officials' prison." It is undoubtedly a distinctive building with its own, unmistakable form language. For five centuries, Mainz had no town hall until the city council commissioned the renowned Danish architectural firm Jacobsen and Weitling to design a new building in 1968. Otto Weitling, one of the architects, expressed his hopes in 1974: "We believe we have created a place of high value that will arouse…
The Kirschbühl Hollow To describe the formation of a hollow way, one cannot avoid taking a look at the loess. The loess that was blown to us during the last Ice Age consists of 20% lime and remains stable in its angular shape at the cliff edges and in the hollow ways. By driving vehicles on the hollow ways, in earlier years with carts and livestock, the loess is loosened and turns to dust. During heavy rain, the loose soil is washed away, leading to ever-deepening paths - a hollow way is created. Today, many hollow ways are paved to…
The eye-catching architecture of the former Catholic St. Paulus Church in Ingelheim-West represented a completely new type of place of worship. This extraordinary church building by Swiss architect Justus Dahinden symbolized Ingelheim's cosmopolitan present. The church's new construction, which included community and youth rooms, was planned under Pastor Helmut Sohns (1935-2018). In 2024, the church was desecrated and is now used as a kindergarten. In the late 1970s, the renowned Zurich architect and professor Justus Dahinden (1925 - 2020)…
In addition to exhibits from today's animal and plant world, the museum presents numerous testimonies from the geological past of Rhineland-Palatinate. Highlights include the approximately 44 million-year-old prehistoric horse from Eckfelder Maar, as well as an extensive collection of Ice Age animals. The Mainz Quagga group enjoys international recognition: as the only museum in the world, the Natural History Museum has three specimens of this extinct zebra species – of which only 23 specimens are still known to exist. As an…