Mainz

The city of Mainz, the capitol of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, is located on the Rhine river at the mouth of the Main river, some 20 miles west southwest of Frankfurt am Main. Originally a Celtic settlement, a Roman military camp was founded here by the Roman general Drusus 14-9 BCE. It became self-governing from 1118 to 1462, when a rebellion caused it to lose its free city privileges, and the leader of the league of Rhenish towns from 1254. It was a French possession from 1797 to 1815, and occupied by the French army from 1918 to 1930. It was almost totally destroyed in World War II, but has been rebuilt. Surviving historic architecture includes an 11th-century Romanesque cathedral, a 17th-century elector's palace, and a 19th-century German fortress built on the site of the old Roman military post. Mainz had a university from 1477 to 1816, but a new one, the Johannes Gutenberg University, it in 1946, honoring its native son who invented movable type here. The city is an educational center, with the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, the Institute for Economic Research, and the Academy of Sciences and Literature. There are many museums of art, history, and natural history, the Gutenberg Museum among them. The city's economic activities include the wine trade for the Rhineland, the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, machinery, glassware, and musical instruments. It is known for its wine and pre-Lenten festivals. The 2005 population was calculated at 187,940.