Geography of Mainz
Mainz, Germany, the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a port on the Rhine at the mouth of the Main River. Mainz lies 20 miles (32 km) west-southwest of Frankfurt, at a railway junction.
Among the products made in Mainz are chemicals, machinery, textiles, furniture, and wine. Its cathedral, consecrated 1009, and a 17th-century palace were badly damaged during World War II. The university, founded in 1477 and closed in 1816, was reopened in 1946 as Johannes Gutenberg Universität. A museum is also named for Gutenberg, who was born here about 1400.
Mainz grew around a Roman fort. Saint Boniface was the first archbishop of Mainz, 747-54 A.D. France ruled Mainz from 1798 to 1814. Mainz was headquarters for French occupation forces, 1918-30.
Population: 183,300.