Mainz – At the Heart of the Rhine-Main Region

In its everyday life, the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate proves that tradition and progress are not necessarily opposites. Looking back on a history spanning 2,000 years, Mainz has remained young. The metropolis on the Rhine, which Romans, electors, and personalities such as Barbarossa and Gutenberg have left their mark on, is today a picturesque home for people and business. And in 2011 Mainz was named Germany's City of Science.

Mainz stands for conviviality and cosmopolitanism. Mainz always has an "open ear" for culture, and not only because a well-known Whitsun festival with theater, music, seminars and cabaret bears this name. State theaters, small stages and other cultural centers provide a lively and varied array of offerings for all tastes. On the one hand, new and experimental forms of theater are presented at the "studio theater" (Kammerspiele), while the historic Moller building presents opera, theater and ballet. An especially dazzling facet of Mainz cultural life is the nationally known “cellar” stage. Top names feature on the placards of this "cabaret cellar": from Dieter Hildebrandt to the "Missfits" to Lars Reichow, to name only a few.

At the same time, the state capital is a vital central location for business, including many media companies – led by German Television ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), which promotes the image of its hometown across Europe on a daily basis. Extensive winegrowing areas characterize the landscape on the edge of the city, where a walk between the vines at any time of the year lets you leave your everyday cares behind. Other surrounding areas are also delightful, and offer a wealth of opportunities for day excursions. Whether to Europe's major flight hub, the Frankfurt airport, or to the charming Rheingau region with its famous monasteries such as Eberbach situtated in the hills, or on a romantic boat trip on the Rhine or a short tour through the splendid landscapes of the Hunsrück, Odenwald and Taunus ranges of hills (Mittelgebirge).