Mainz

Mainz (Mayence), an imperial German fortress of the first rank, and the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, in the grand-duchy of Hesse, is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite the junction of the Main, 22 miles WSW. of Frankfort. The Rhine is here crossed by a stone bridge (superseding in 1885 the former pontoon bridge) to the village of Kastel, included in the fortifications, and by an iron railway bridge, 140 yards long, to the port of Gustavsberg, at the mouth of the Main. Pop. (1875) 56,421; (1890) 72,059, of whom two-thirds are Roman Catholics; in the 14th century it is said to have reached 90,000. Mainz is one of the most ancient cities in Germany; but its oldest part, known as Kästreich, has been rebuilt in a modern style since its almost total destruction in 1857 by the explosion of a powder-magazine; while a handsome new quarter has sprung up on the north, in the space afforded by the advancing of the fortifications in 1874. The cathedral, originally built in 978-1009, was thrice destroyed by fire, and dates in its present form from the 13-14th century. In 1870-78 it was thoroughly restored, and the present central Romanesque tower, 270 feet high, built. It has five lesser towers, fourteen altars, and nine minor chapels, and is adorned in the interior with frescoes and numerous monuments. Besides various modern public buildings, the city contains the palace of the grand-duke, originally a lodge of the Teutonic Order, dating from the beginning of the 18th century, an arsenal of 1736, and the large red-sandstone electoral palace, in which are deposited various public collections, including a library of 150,000 vols., and the valuable Romano-German Museum, an antiquarian and historical collection unequalled elsewhere in Europe. Mainz is an important centre of the Rhine trade with Holland and Belgium, and also carries on a very large transit trade by railway, as well as an active manufacturing industry. Elaborate new harbour-works, including docks and storehouses, were opened in 1887 at a cost of £250,000; while the Rhine is skirted by a broad quay, four miles long. Grain, wine, timber, books, music, and the manufactures of the town are the chief articles of trade. Furniture, leather goods, machinery, musical instruments, chemicals, gold and silver ware, hats, soap, &c., are among the manufactures; and brewing, printing, and market-gardening in the environs are also important industries. The history of Mainz connects it with Rome from the year 13 B.C., when Drusus built on its site the important fort of Moguntiacum or Maguntiacum. Among the numerous Roman remains the most remarkable are the Eigelstein, a column supposed to mark the tomb of Drusus, and the remains of an aqueduct 3½ miles long. The real importance of the town dates, however, from the Frankish emperors. In the 13th century Mainz was the head of the confederacy of the Rhenish cities, but in 1462 it was added to the domains of the archbishops of Mainz, the premier spiritual electors of the empire. The city was several times in the possession of France, notably in 1801-14. After the Congress of Vienna it was assigned in 1816 to Hesse-Darmstadt, on condition that it was to constitute a federal stronghold, and it was garrisoned by Prussian and Austrian troops. After 1866 it was held by Prussian troops, until in 1870 it was declared an imperial fortress. Mainz was the birthplace of Gutenberg (q.v.), whose house is still pointed out. See works by Schaab (1844), Bockenheimer (1879), Beck (1882), and Schneider (1886).