Memorable experiences. Culture, museums, science
Roman legionnaires, animals of primeval times, artists and musicians, and the inventor Gutenberg – they have all left their traces in Mainz. Museums and universities offer background knowledge. Explore Mainz!
With Johannes Gutenberg – the greatest son of the city, inventor of the printing press with moveable type, who has been named “Man of the Millennium”, a new age began – and not just in Mainz. More than one hundred years ago, a whole museum was dedicated to him.
At the Gutenberg Museum, you can admire two of Gutenberg's famous bibles, the first printed books in the world. There is an audio guide in German, English, French and Korean.
The perfectly renovated State Museum that houses important collections from early days to the modern era is a real gem.
The Kunsthalle Mainz at the Zollhafen is entirely dedicated to contemporary art.
The collections of the Mainz Natural History Museum are dedicated to the natural environment of Rhineland-Palatinate and far beyond. This museum that is particularly interesting for children and families has undergone an intensive facelift, encompassing all sections of the museum.
And – how could it be otherwise – the newest museum in Mainz is dedicated to Carnival with pictures and sound recordings and an exhibition of costumes and awards. You can find more on the current exhibitions at the museums at mainz.de/museen.
A variety of events and exhibitions related to science and research were organised as a result of Mainz being named the “City of Science 2011”. Many of the projects were set up under the banner of sustainability and the created networks continue to have an effect. City life in Mainz is shaped by more than 40,000 students at the various universities, and a number of smart minds in teaching and research.
Cabaret is very important here on the Rhine! This is illustrated by the annual presentation of the coveted German Cabaret Award in the Mainzer unterhaus forum theatre. But there is also space for high culture, events and festivals, for example in the renowned State Theatre, in the factory building Phoenix Hall that is now used for culture and events, and at numerous events in the squares of the state capital. “Mainz lebt auf seinen Plätzen” (Mainz lives in its squares) – the name says it all!
A must for Mainz-enthusiasts is the famous Mainz Carnival, which marks out a fifth season of its own and the annual highlight of which is a kilometre-long procession through the streets on the Monday before Lent. Or the Pentecost festival “Open Ohr” at the Citadel, the St. John’s Night Festival dedicated to the inventor of printing Johannes Gutenberg in June or the Mainzer Musiksommer, which is dedicated to classical music in a historic setting. The grand finale of the popular and cultural festivals is the Mainz Wine Market on two long weekends in late summer. Here, you can enjoy all that the wine capital of Germany has to offer.