When catching the train from Frankfurt Airport to Bonn, it's always interesting to see the Roman Theatre that seems to be embedded in the Mainz South railway station. As the train moves through the station, I always wanted to come and look at the theatre and also whatever else there is to see in Mainz. It's around 80 minutes on the train to Mainz so a relatively early start sees me on the train at 8:30 this Sunday morning.
Into Mainz and the first stop is here at Schillerplatz. It's just time for a morning coffee and the day couldn't be better; bright, sunny and the hint of warmth that the breeze will stop from being too hot. Perfect weather and the perfect setting to have a coffee and prepare for the rest of the day.
Schillerplatz is the setting for the annual Fools Day. At 11:11 on November 11 each year the fools will gather in this square and listen to the proclamation announcing the beginning of the fifth season; Carnevale! These are a few days of crazy revelry here in the Rheinland area mainly. The fountain is the Fools' Tower and has a variety of images from history and fantasy. All of this in keeping with the spirit of Fools Day.
The next stop on the tour is the Kupferberg Terrace. The guide claims this is a nice place to sit and admire the view but although we are quite high, the view is dominated by ordinary roof tops and a cityscape reminiscent of downtown anywhere. BUT the aural view is spectacular! From my seat I can spy the tops of at least eight churches and, being Sunday, when midday rolls around the outpouring of pealing bells is an absolute knockout. It was worth the walk here just to listen to the bells.
Climbing a little higher we find one of the original Roman gates to the city.
As you can see, it now seems quite unprepossessing but the part I like is the stone lintel in the main doorway. This would have sealed the gates closed but note how there are two grooves near each end of the lintel; the constant movement of carts over the stones have worn these two grooves. Rome would seem to have been in Mainz for a long time!
Next stop - St. Stephens. A medieval wonder that has been restored since virtual destruction during the Second World War. I am keen to see the Chagall windows but am thwarted by Sunday services. I'll grab a quick lunch and wait for the service to end and head inside.
Now that we're inside - wow! Apparently Chagall completed this work when he was 98 and it was his final piece. But what a final piece! It's amazing how he has been able to bring his own personality (the blue colours are especially striking) yet keep the whole relevant and in keeping with a church originally built in the 13th Century. Such is his achievement. I'm assuming that the windows were destroyed when the church was almost levelled in the Second World War. Such destruction is always a tragedy but at the same time, without that damage we would not have these contemporary yet marvellously beautiful and appropriate windows today. Hats off to those who reached out to Chagall and to the work Chagall has produced.
And hats back on to whoever designed the Internet guide I downloaded! The reading is great but the directions are hopeless. Read the guide but bring your own map is my advice for future Mainz explorers.
Next stop is the Citadel. Again, this was the original Roman camp and has grown until completion in the 17th Century, as part of the fortifications built around the 30 Years’ War. As you can imagine, 1700 years of continuous building means that the walls even today are massive in height and send a message of impenetrability. The gate house is now quite decorous but still feels imposing.
The other neat thing here is the Drusus Stone.
More an imposing tower at the rear of the site, this monument was erected to one General Drusus, apparently a great tactician but also Emperor Augustus' brother. Killed in benign circumstances (he fell from his horse and died of his injuries) his men were so saddened by his departure that they erected this cairn as a memorial. When I first stumbled on it, I thought this to be a tower from the original part of the citadel. Massive and solid, no wonder it remains impervious to man and the elements after all this time.
Now to my favourite part and the reason for coming to Mainz in the first place.
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| The Roman Theatre in Mainz with the train line and railway station in the background |
The Roman Theatre was discovered in the late 19th Century when Deutsche Bahn (or whatever it was called back then) were carving out a new railway station. On finding this massive theatre, they promptly did nothing but continue to dig and build their station. In fact, apart from naming the station 'Romische Theater' nothing changed. Any damage to the ruins was apparently ok. So little value did the Mainzers place on the location that it was even used as dump to load rubble from the city during the clean up after World War 2. It was only in 1999 that they began to dig seriously - well as seriously as you can with a railway line running through the centre of your dig site! Exposure of the site now reveals a theatre more like a Colosseum than a playhouse. Seating 10,000 spectators, this was the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps. Apparently, the productions were as large in scope as the theatre itself.
The sheer scale of Roman occupation in Mainz is a little mind boggling.
From here I moved to the Museum of Ancient Sea Travel. Within are five Roman ships from the 1-3rd Centuries found when a site was being opened for the second Hilton hotel in Mainz. Being wooden ships, what timbers remain are in surprisingly good condition. Workmen have then created a series of life size replicas of the ships on the basis of the remains. Most of the museum is in German but there is some English translation around but the ships themselves are the story and there is enough to simply absorb and observe here. Given the museum is free to enter the experience is well worth it! What is amazing and surprising is how extensive the Roman fleet’s occupation of the Rhine with its fleet headquartered in Cologne; so far from the sea yet in the midst of the action.
The tour then wends its way back in to the Aldstadt and this is lovely.
Many of the original buildings remain and the winding streets provide more of a labyrinth than sensible navigation. In fact, the street signs are designed to help out a little; the red signs denote streets that point to the river while streets with blue signs run parallel to the river. The rumour is that this was instigated to help soldiers find their way back to their barracks and has remained the format ever since. When this began, no one seems really sure but there have been a few occupying armies through Mainz over the years and not all of them spoke German so maybe there is truth to the rumour.
In the middle of the Altstadt is the Church of Augustin.
Unfortunately we could only look through the glass front doors today so the photos taken didn’t really work but trust me; the paintings that adorn the ceilings are amazing. Even more so when you consider that the church survived the war intact so these ceiling paintings are the originals.
Mainz is a bit of a trip from Bonn but the trip has that magic section of railway where you hug the Rhine from Koblenz to Mainz, passing the Loreley and countless villages and castles nestled into and on top of the cliffs and hills along the river. I'd argue the train ride is worth the effort especially as I'm writing this in the train and we are literally passing the Loreley as I type.
But the city of Mainz is well worth a visit with its Roman heritage bursting out all over the place, those amazing churches pealing their bells on this wonderful Sunday and an Aldstadt that meanders and maintains its old feeling with style and aplomb.
Check out http://www.mainz.de and download the tour guide that suits you best; but be sure to take a map as well.
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