the tree of life.
i live very close to the city of mainz and it's actually a shame that i haven't yet explored this place more thoroughly. so on one day in february ( while on vacations i didn't spend at my parent's place ) i decided to hop onto a train and ride the 15-minute way to mainz, determined to finally start mainz-walking and getting to know this city that's just a stone's throw away from where i live. i had a friend living in the city of mainz once, and every now and then we'd meet up for a coffee or two, but never quite exploring the city. i only ever saw it on very short visits, and it involved the inner city most of the time, not even close to neustadt or the harbour areas or any other part of town. i really want to change that in the future and get to know the sister city of my home town erfurt more closely. it seems like i finally may be following through with this plan, because i recently got to know someone who knows the city like the back of his hands and it might lead to further explorations in the future, which makes me all excited and giddy :) but on that particular day back in february, this was not at the back of my mind, i just wanted to genuinely start mainz-ploring.
the city of mainz is the capital of rhineland-palatinate, hessia's neighboring bundesland. wiesbaden is only separated from mainz via the rhine river, so those two cities could actually be a huge one if they weren't so proud of their origins ;) you should never compare a wiesbaden citizen to a mainz citizen, it will ALWAYS spark up competition! both sides are arguing whether the other side is the 'evil' side, and if you want to know my humble opinion, i feel like wiesbaden is the evil one most of the time. because when it comes to friendliness, openness & progressive thinking i feel like mainz is way better than wiesbaden. it feels more free-spirited! wiesbaden sometimes has a very narrow view on things and it takes a while to adapt to new ideas and concepts. and there are more snobs! seriously, the people living here are the worst snobs. i know what i'm talking about, i have to serve them food every single day. you can get to know humans and how they tick when you work in retail ;)
but on the other hand, wiesbaden is the seemingly more stylish & beautiful city, so i'm kinda torn between the qualities of both cities ;)
anyway, let's have a little walk. but before we really start, here's some random ones, from ( my guess ) a stroll through wiesbaden or frankfurt - i really can't remember anymore.
i really like finding art nouveau inspired architectural details.
sooooo art nouveau - with the sharp head & all the swirly nature elements.
i think this was definitely shot in frankfurt - probably on an evening where a friend and i had some delicious japanese food and went watching a movie afterwards. it's irking me that i simply can't remember that day more vividly... like what movie we went to see ( i think it was 'call me by your name' ). shame on my bad memory. i liked the mid-century feeling about these doors.
nice roof situation, now officially somewhere in mainz.
faultier means sloth, and that logo means that this is a coaching place for kids who need help with homework. not only do i like the logo, but i also really like the marble facade.
i'm a sucker for historic facades.
i officially started my walk in the big kaiserstraße - a gründerzeit avenue that separates the old town from the neustadt district. there's a small green strip in the middle of the avenue that leads to a really beautiful and majestic church: the christ church.
here you can see it in the background. my focus here was the blooming plant, it was the first sign of spring, y'all!
the church was erected between 1896 & 1903. it's been built by eduard kreyßig who was well-known for the work he put into mainz as a town master mason. the style is renaissance revival. the church really forms a perfect finale to the kaiserstraße - it's a building that catches your eye immediately ( and reminds me of wiesbaden's ringkirche somehow, even though they don't look alike)
i loved, loved, loved the details of the main entry.
i went inside the church as well, but it was nothing too special. the church was renovated in the 50ies after heavy bombardements in the 2nd world war and that means that a lot of the original ornaments and decors of the church could not be resurrected for the interior design. so it was left with a rather inornate interior. i hear that the acoustics are really the bomb inside, though, so i guess that makes up for a lack of renaissance charm, too ;)
not too far from the church i caught a surrealistic swimming scene.
regional bureau for the concordia cologne life insurance company. the decor is purely art nouveau, which i totally endorse. it's one of the last art nouveau advertising facades of mainz and especially beautiful with the flower stucco ornamentation.
i moved onward to the direction of zollhafen, a former harbour that's been worked into an exclusive residential area the last few years. on my way there i passed by a forlorn looking house with a beautiful entrance door.
the new residential buildings of the zollhafen possess a certain kind of industrial chic. in love with the ring cilln brickwork here! the house is called rheinkai 500.
part of rheinkai 500 is this morbid & macabre statue of a horse skeleton in a boat, seemingly floating along the rhein river. it's called 'nomad' and was created by the sculptor gustavo aceves. i don't quite know what meaning this sculpture has in context to the area it is presented in, but yeah, whatever floats the planner's boat ( pun intended ). i still like it, but mainly because i like morbid things ;)
the sculpture up close.
another residential building. of course they all will look rather generic when they're finished, but the devil is in the details. like i said, i'm way too much into the brickstone facades. because the brickstone aesthetic is another favourite of mine.
this building was erected next to a former wine warehouse along the southern mole of the harbour.
these glass-covered balconies probably have a real good view over the harbour. they would be too transparent for me, though, because i'm a private person. i still like it somehow!
on the west entry of the zollhafen area you can find a local institution: the kunsthalle ( art hall ). it's located inside the old boiler & machine house of the harbour and was altered with a badass contemporary addition in 2007, the turquoise tower you can see here! inside there are installations and exhibits of modern art.
the tower is tilted in a 7 degree ankle, and 7 degree is also the name for the attached cafe. the architect was günter zamp kelp. my favourite detail here: the diamond window elements. but also the glass tiles! and the juxtaposition of old & new ;)
nice structures.
entering the vestibule of the museum.
not too far from the kunsthalle you will encounter another special construction: the green bridge. ever since i discovered this little nugget i am raving and swooning about it, everytime someone wants to know what area i like in mainz. this bridge ( built in 1977 by dieter magnus ) is a wonderful example of intra-urban green space development. it merges nature with a brutalist construction, in an area that's not very green. it's a little oasis inside a city jungle, with one of the busiest streets running underneath it. but when you're on top of the bridge and experience the shrubbery and trees and green knickknacks, you forget about all of that. i really love the idea of nature claiming its place in the city, and since the bridge was designed to be overgrown and serve as an inner city oasis, it totally took my heart upon seeing and entering it. of course, in winter it's not as nice as it is in summer ( which i have since experienced, too ;) ), but it's still super nice to stroll along and enjoy the sheer sculpturesque quality of it all.
i really like the geometrical elements on the bridge!
you can also walk underneath the bridge, which is covered with graffitis and also incorporates trees ( which peak out on top of the bridge! )
caged in.
another perspective.
on top of the bridge the landscape looks like this. and it's of course a lot more beautiful. you can probably guess how nice this is in summer!
there are two cage structures on the bridge, which are gobbled up by shrubberies and plants. i think they also make for great photo ops - if i was a photographer of humans ^^;
let me introduce you to a mainz original - the sad girl. you can find her all over mainz, including on this bridge where i personally think she fits best and probably calls it her home!
overlooking the residential areas. again, the emphasis lies on the use of the geometrical forms as balustrades. it's so good on the eye.
even the scribbles & tags make it look charming.
another cage! apparently they also have beehives somewhere on the bridge, which is cool.
bridge-crossing.
right next to the bridge the facade of this building catches your eye. it belongs to the public services of mainz.
i continued to make my way through mainz and encountered some more art nouveau details.
the dependance of the frankfurt allianz bank.
the beautiful east side of the electoral palace with its red sandstone facade and the sky blue gate. the electoral palace was initially build in 1478 ( under the name of martinsburg ) but the foundations for this palace were laid out in 1627. it was the former city residence of many archbishops, but today it serves as an event site.
better look at the blue gate.
the palace's south east side. it really is a magnificent example of renaissance architecture.
a lot less glamourous but still interesting is this building: haus der jugend ( house of the youth ) - a 1962 club house. it is home for several local clubs and basically a civic center.
it's a simple, clean building, and this detail - the lettering - is probably my favourite thing about it. and i do like the big window front as well.
my walk lead me to another worthwhile place: the early gothic church st. christoph. there's something very special about this church - one: it's a ruin ( and a world war 2 memorial ), second: it's got brutalist extensions par excellence!
st. christoph was built between 1240 & 1330 and had been standing there undemolished until 1942 ( where it burned down ) and 1945 ( where it was bombarded ). the buttresses were added around 1963/64 & embellished by the german sculptor heinz hemrich and showcases symbolic depictions from the history of the city of mainz. i absolutey adored this detail! i love it when old & new stuff is combined - it's such an interesting contradiction!
there's an open exhibition inside where you can learn about the history of the church and also about its demise.
the romanesque bell tower.
loved the light installation everywhere!
the east choir was rebuilt later on and is now home to the international orthodox parish and used as a chapel ( hence the huge glass window ).
i had a hard time taking photos, the light wasn't that favorable. but anyway, i still think these are adequate enough to not cry over, haha ^^;
but since i wasn't as happy as i would like to be i turned another one into a b&w photo and decided i like it a lot more ;)
the church from the outside again. i will probably return in the future to document the concrete buttress a bit better. and of course to find a little bit of solace. despite it being all open, it still possesses a quality of quietness & solitude i found very soothing and impressing.
another modern building is this one - the mall am brand. it was built in the 70ies and is a fairly dark & convoluted place. it reminds me of brutalism, but i'm not too sure it rings true. might belong more into the international style space.
oh, this window had me truly excited. i was walking there by accident when i discovered it! i wonder how the light is inside this house? i'm guessing it's a stairway.
this is a former cinema ( kino residenz ) which is on the verge of being torn down ( probably doesn't even exist anymore by the time i write this :( ). apparently it was a big institution in mainz and will be missed greatly.
ending this post with glorious light in front of the weapon law office. it was a very brief & superficial visit, but it helped me immensely to get a better feeling and to ignite some more curiousity for further explorations!
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