About Mainz

Mainz facts & figures

Population:

206,413 (people with a main residence in Mainz)
209.140 (including people with a secondary residence in Mainz; as of 31/10/2014)

Figures and statistics

Area:

Left of the Rhine: 9,776 hectares
Right of the Rhine (Amöneburg, Kastel, Kostheim): 2,269 hectares

Geolocation:

Northern hemisphere; latitude 49.992862, longitude 8.247253
(reference point: western tower of cathedral)

Highest point:

Auf der Muhl, Mainz-Ebersheim, 245 m above sea level

Lowest point:

Bank of Rhine at Mainz-Mombach, 82 m above sea level

Tallest historic building:

Tower of St. Martin's Cathedral, 84 m

Tallest modern building:

Bonifatius Towers, 95 m

Distances:

To Frankfurt Airport: 27 km
To Frankfurt: 30 km

Urban districts:

Mainz has 15 urban districts: Altstadt, Bretzenheim, Drais, Ebersheim, Finthen, Gonsenheim, Hartenberg/Münchfeld, Hechtsheim, Laubenheim, Lerchenberg, Marienborn, Mombach, Neustadt, Oberstadt, and Weisenau.

"AKK" districts:

The three urban districts of Amöneburg, Kastel, and Kostheim on the right bank of the Rhine were separated from the city by the Allied Occupation Forces in 1945 and are still governed directly from Wiesbaden. However, they are part of the city of Mainz.

Twin cities:

Mainz is twinned with eleven cities and towns around the globe: Baku (Azerbaijan), Dijon (France), Erfurt (Thuringia/Germany), Haifa (Israel), Kigali (Ruanda), Longchamp (France), Louisville (Kentucky/USA), Rodeneck (South Tyrol/Italy), Valencia (Spain), Watford (Great Britain), and Zagreb (Croatia).

Honorary citizens:

Since 1831, 47 people have been made honorary citizens of Mainz.

City coat of arms:

The coat of arms of Mainz features two silver wheels on a red background linked by a cross.

Fairtrade city

In May 2013, Mainz became a Fairtrade city. For more information, visit www.mainz.de.

Barrier-free city

In 2005, Mainz was awarded the title of "Barrier-free City" by the UNESCO office APAJH.

Brief history of Mainz

13-12 BCE The Romans establish a double legionary base on the hill of Kästerich
975 - 1011 Archbishop Willigis - construction of St. Martin's Cathedral
ca. 1000 - 1802 Capital of the Archdiocese of Mainz
13th - 15th century Mainz is a free city
ca. 1440 Johannes Gutenberg invents movable type printing
1452 - 1455 Gutenberg prints the famous Gutenberg Bible in Mainz
1462 Loss of free city status as Mainz is conquered by the troops of the Archbishop of Nassau. Mainz becomes his residential city with no autonomy.
1477 Founding of university
1792/93 Republic of Mainz
1798 - 1814 Mainz is part of France
1815 Mainz becomes a fortress of the German Federation
1826 Establishment of middle Rhine steamboat company (initiating tourism in the area)
1837/38 Foundation of Ranzengarde and Mainz Carnival Society to head the carnival organisation
1872 Major city expansion (development of Neustadt)
1873 Mainz becomes an imperial fortress
1907 - 1938 First incorporation of neighbouring town (Mombach), soon followed by other towns on both sides of the Rhine
After 1918 Demolition of all fortifications
Second World War Destruction of four fifths of the city centre
1945 Mainz becomes the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate; districts right of the Rhine are put under direct administration by the Allied Occupation Forces
1946 Reopening of Mainz University as Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
1950 Relocation of state parliament and government offices from Koblenz to Mainz
1962 Second German state television station sets up its studios in Mainz; development of residential area of Lergenberg
1969 Drais, Ebersheim, Finthen, Hechtsheim, Laubenheim, and Marienborn are incorporated into the city
1975 1000th anniversary of St. Martin's Cathedral
1981 Discovery of eleven Roman ships (remains of late Antiquity Rhine fleet based in Mainz)
1995 Renovation of the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke
2000 600th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg
2001 Archaeologists excavate the highly significant Roman sanctuary of Isis and Mater Magna
2008 Mainz becomes a Great Wine Capital
2010 Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany names Mainz "City of Science 2011"
   

For more information on the history of Mainz, visit www.mainz.de.