Mainz, Germany April 10, 2023

 Mainz, Germany April 10, 2023

Today's included tour was a walking tour of Mainz, Germany, a city that boasts more than 2,000 years of history!  We had a gloriously sunny day for our day in Mainz.  We enjoyed a light breakfast before setting off with our small "leisurely group" with our guide, Werner, for a walking tour of Mainz and a visit to the Gutenberg Museum.

A beautiful morning in Mainz

City Gate in Mainz

Undamaged Building in Mainz

Much of Mainz was destroyed by the bombing in World War II.  It was quickly rebuilt, Werner told us, with ugly concrete boxes, which were cheap to build. Over time, facades have been added to recapture the architecture of the past.

Buildings in the town square with facades added to make them look like the buildings of long ago.

The Heunensäule, also known as Heune columns, are round columns made of sandstone that were originally intended for the reconstruction of the Willigis Cathedral in Mainz, which burned down in 1009. They were probably completed in the 11th century in a quarry in the Bullauer Berge near Miltenberg. 

The Heunen columns, which are still preserved today, are located in different places. The best-known of them stands as a memorial in Mainz. Two more are in Nuremberg and Munich, and another is on the waterfront in Miltenberg.

On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the construction of the cathedral in 1975, the city of Miltenberg donated one of the haystack columns (also "giant column") to the city of Mainz. The Mainz Heunensäule weighs 16 tons, is 6.40 meters high, and has a diameter of 1.20 meters.

The circular support, today one of the symbols of the city, was set up in the middle of the market and framed with a bronze base by the Palatinate sculptor Gernot Rumpf, who explained the history and nature of the city of Mainz very comprehensively by depicting various headgear from the history of the city of Mainz represents. A Roman gladiator mask represents the period of Roman occupation. A Jacobin hat represents the time of French occupation. 

Nagelsäule

At first glance, this pillar doesn't look like much. Tucked out of the main part of the square around the side of the cathedral, it’s easily overlooked. Werner shared its story and its WWI history, and I was fascinated.
Wooden pillars like this were often put up throughout the German Empire during World War I to raise money for the military, particularly for injured soldiers and their families. People paid for the big black square iron nails, then hammered them into the column. One iron nail would cost about one Deutsch mark. The nails are hammered in patterned rows, smaller ones contrasting with the big, flat-headed ones. The pillar is made out of oak and is seven meters high, with the Iron Cross sitting at the top. The gold inscription below reads ‘In Kriegsnot Helf Uns Gott’ (In Times of War, Help Us God). The carved pictures around the pillar show military symbols of strength and scenes of unity and charity - a soldier, a military eagle, an armor-maker, and women nursing children and giving out bread.

Because it was Easter Monday, there was a mass being served in the cathedral, so we were not able to go inside until later in the day.  Instead, we made our way to the Gutenberg Museum.

Gutenberg Museum

The museum was founded in 1900, half a century after the birth of Johannes Gutenberg. It features a fascinating exhibit that covers the history of the printed word and also has a replica of Gutenberg's workshop.

Much of the museum is dimly lit - purposely so as to preserve the precious copies of various texts produced by Gutenberg.  Photography is limited, with no pictures permitted in the room that houses the museum's one-and-a-half copies of the original Gutenberg bible.  There are only 49 copies still existing, and they are carefully preserved.

A highlight of the day was a visit to a model of Gutenberg's printing operation, where Werner demonstrated the process that was used to set the type, load it into the press, apply the ink, and then press it onto the vellum.  At the end of the presentation, he gave the copy away to one of our group.  I was disappointed not to be chosen.

This was the end of our tour, and I was very tired.  We returned to our ship for lunch, and I opted for a nap while Jeff returned to town to tour the interior of the cathedral and wander the Alte Stadt (Old Town).

Organ in Cathedral

An afternoon lecture on French and German relationships through the centuries.

After the lecture, it was time for the "invitation-only" Explorer's Society cocktail party.  This event is for folks who have sailed with Viking in the past and is always special.  We mingled with the heads of departments and enjoyed watching the Captain interact with the guests.  The half-hour event concluded with a toast and the drinking of Akvavit or Aquavit, a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been made since the 15th century. Akvavit is distilled from grain or potatoes and is flavored with a variety of herbs. The dominant flavor must come from a distillate of caraway and dill seed (according to the EU). It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume or 80 proof.

Chef Pierre Paolo and the Head of Housekeeping

Captain Gunter serves members of the Explorer's Society

A traditional Norwegian toast "Skoal!" with Alvavit, a very strong brandy-like beverage!

Captain Gunter and Linda

After the cocktail party it was time for dinner which we enjoyed with a younger couple from Maryland along with another couple we had dined with before (and who were in our "gentle walking group).  Dinner was good, but not photographable (or maybe I just forgot).

Our evening was spent in the Lounge enjoying some beverages (Bourbon Manhattan for Jeff and white wine for Linda) and listening to an electric violinist play a variety of songs from a variety of genres.  She was quite charming and very talented, and the audience was both attentive and polite (unlike the other night when a couple of very loud passengers talked incessantly through the entertainment).

Tomorrow ... 

Castles of the Middle Rhine

and

Koblenz!