Mainz is situated on the river Rhine in the southwestern part of Germany; just a few kilometres from the city you'll find the beautiful mid-Rhine valley with its many castle ruins and the Loreley. The cities of Darmstadt, Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden can be reached by bus or train in less than half an hour.

With its approximately 200,000 inhabitants, Mainz is the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate. Since the surrounding countryside is one of the most important wine-growing regions of Germany, traditional winebars can be found anywhere in town; in summer the 'Straußwirtschaften', temporary bars and restaurants at the regional wineries, are open, and in late August the annual festival 'Weinmarkt' is held.

When the Romans founded Mainz more than 2000 years ago, they called it 'Moguntiacum'. The 'Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum' and the 'Museum für Antike Schifffahrt' display numerous remains of Roman culture. Even today excavations for new buildings very often yield spectacular finds from the earliest years of our city. Among the many attractive sights of Mainz are its cathedral, the old town with its half-timbered houses, and the Chagall windows at St. Stephen's.

Throughout Germany Mainz is famous for its carnival, the 'Fastnacht' with its colourful parades, the longest and most popular being the 'Rosenmontagszug'.

In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg, after whom Mainz University was named, invented the art of printing with moveable letters. To honour its prominent son, Mainz holds its annual 'Johannisfest' in late June. Here you can for instance witness the 'Gautschen', the initiation rite for printers, or you can shop at the market for antiquarian books. Gutenberg's original press is on display at the 'Gutenberg-Museum'.

Over the last decades, Mainz has emerged as an important media city; it is home to Europe's largest public broadcasting station ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) as well as to other public and commercial TV and radio stations, such as SWR (Südwestrundfunk) and RPR (Rheinland-Pfalz Radio).

The local cultural calendar is well filled with a broad range of events: you can enjoy operas and plays at the 'Staatstheater', new and experimental dramatic forms at the 'Kammerspiele', or political, musical, and stand-up comedy at the nationally acclaimed 'Unterhaus'. Several arts centres, among them 'Frankfurter Hof', 'Alte Patrone' and 'Kulturzentrum', offer expositions, movies or concerts featuring a wide variety of musical styles. Numerous movie theatres and museums complete the city's cultural programme.