The Electoral Palace in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

(german: Kurfürstliches Schloss zu Mainz) is the former city ''

Residenz Residenz () is a German word for "place of living", now obsolete except in the formal sense of an official residence. A related term, Residenzstadt, denotes a city where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore carrying a similar meaning as the modern ...

'' of the Prince-elector and Archbishop of Mainz. It is one of the important

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

buildings in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Background

Originally, the Archbishop of Mainz resided at the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, where there is an old private chapel dating from 1137, but in 1475, when the Chapter re-elected

Diether von Isenburg Diether von Isenburg ( 14127 May 1482) was twice Archbishop (1459–1461 and 1475–1482) and founder of the University of Mainz. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was ''ex officio'' Elector and Lord Chancellor of Germany. Biography Diether was a son ...

, conditions were imposed: he had to surrender the town of Mainz to the Chapter, and erect a castle in the city. The construction of Martinsburg began in 1478 and was completed two years later. For several decades, the archbishops lived either there or in the electoral palace at

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the Aschaffenburg (district), district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative sea ...

Schloss Johannisburg Schloss Johannisburg is a schloss in the town of Aschaffenburg, in Franconia in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It was erected between 1605 and 1614 by the architect for Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg, Prince Bishop of Mainz. Until 1803, it ...

. After receiving damage during the second war with the

margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Em ...

s in 1552 the castle was restored in a Renaissance style. Archbishop

Daniel Brendel von Homburg Daniel Brendel of Homburg (german: Daniel Brendel von Homburg) (22 March 1522 – 22 March 1582) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1555 to 1582. Biography Daniel Brendel of Homburg was born in Aschaffenburg on March 22, 1522. The cathed ...

built office buildings and St Gangolph's Church around the year 1580. (In order to make way for new avenues, these buildings as well as Martinsburg were demolished by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

during the French occupation of the town between 1798 and 1814.)

History

The building of a new palace commenced in 1627 on the behest of Archbishop

Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads (also spelled ''Greiffenclau''; 8 September 1573 – 6 July 1629) was the Prince-Bishop of Worms from 1616 to 1629 and the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1626 to 1629. Biography Georg Friedrich von ...

.The history of the Electoral Palace
Mainz Congress - Locations: Kurfürstliches Schloss The Rhine wing of the new palace could not be finished until 1678, construction being delayed by the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

and the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between Kingdom of France, France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by t ...

. The original plan is not known, but it was probably a four-wing construction, comparable to the 1604 repairs to Schloss Johannisberg. It can be assumed Martinsburg remained standing only because of the delays. The north wing was begun in 1687, ready by 1752, and furnished in succeeding years. Work on the wing extending away from the river was begun during the reigns of

Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein (6 July 1689 – 4 June 1763) was the Prince-Bishop of Worms, Archbishop of Mainz and Elector of Mainz. Early life He was born as the eldest son of Count Johann Franz Sebastian von Ostein (1652-1718) and his wi ...

(1743–1763) and Friedrich Karl Josef von Erthal (1774–1802). Erthal was the last Prince-Elector of the old electorate. His successor

Karl Theodor von Dalberg Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg (8 February 1744 – 10 February 1817) was Prince- Archbishop of Regensburg, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop of Constance and Worms, prince-primate of the Confederation of the Rhine and ...

was both Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and Arch-Chancellor of the remaining Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. Due to the resolutions of the '' Reichsdeputationshauptschluss'' his seat was moved to Regensburg, which became the new seat of the archbishopric. Delays were due not only to the War of the Grand Alliance, but also to the extensive building activity of the nobility: for example, the Lustschloss Favorite begun in 1700 by

Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Emp ...

absorbed large amounts of resources. That summer residence was destroyed during the Siege of Mainz by coalition shelling in 1793. On 23 October 1792, the Jacobin Club, a political group during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, was established on what nowadays is German soil. This was the earliest democratic movement in Germany. The last Elector of Mainz was expelled in the same year, and the palace was neglected until 1827, when it was restored by the

Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...

and the City of Mainz. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the building was heavily damaged, especially in the air raid of 27 February 1945, which destroyed most of the city. Of the palace, only the exterior walls remained. It was rebuilt during 1948 and 1949, reopened on 31 December 1949, and was the main venue in Mainz for Karneval activities until the Rheingoldhalle opened in 1968.

Architecture

Stylistically, the Electoral Palace is one of the last examples of German Renaissance architecture. The northern wing, built later, conforms to this style. The exterior, with

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

s at every corner, is richly decorated, particularly around the windows. The roofs have been restored with exactness. The most spectacular interiors included the Grand Staircase by the leading Baroque architect Balthasar Neumann, which was removed during the French occupation.

Modern uses

Today the east wing houses the

Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum The Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM), Leibniz Research Institute for Archaeology, is headquartered in Mainz. It is supported by the Federal Republic of Germany and its states and is a member of the Leibniz Association of German research ...

. An assortment of replicas and valuable original items presents a comprehensive picture of the cultural life of prehistoric times, of the Roman Empire, and of the early Middle Ages. The north wing contains the famous function hall from which the annual

Mainz carnival The Mainz Carnival (''Mainzer Fastnacht'', ''"Määnzer Fassenacht" or "Meenzer Fassenacht"'') is a months-long citywide carnival celebration in Mainz, Germany that traditionally begins on 11 November but culminates in the days before Ash Wednes ...

TV show '' Mainz bleibt Mainz, wie es singt und lacht'' is broadcast. The Electoral Palace is now one of eight venues managed by Congress Centrum Mainz. There are seven halls and many smaller rooms, enabling events to be staged for up to 1,700 persons.

References

External links