The Old Arsenal (Altes Zeughaus), also referred to as ''Zum Sautanz'', was the central

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

of the fortress of Mainz during the 17th and 18th century. In his function it was succeeded by the new arsenal. Currently the

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

building is used by the

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

state chancellery and the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.

History

The arsenal was erected during the years 1604 and 1605 under the reign of

Prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the Holy Roman Emperor, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century ...

and

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

Johann Adam von Bicken (1601–1604) and

Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg (15 July, 1553 – 17 September, 1626) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1604 to 1626. Biography Early life, 1553–1604 Born on July 15, 1553, Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg was the third son of Hartmu ...

(1604–1626) at the site of a former electoral piggery, thus the deduced housename ''Zum Sautanz'' (to the dancing pigs). The arsenal was constructed as a three winged building opened to the east, where the city wall alongside the

rhine river ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

was located. The main wing refrains compared to the side wings. The prominent external spiral staircase dominates the internal court. It is domed by a ''Welsche Haube'' (Welsch canopy). Archbishop Bickens coat of arms are to be found at the entrance arch of the tower. Both side wings finish with their city side with rich decorated

dutch gable A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of ...

s. Larger pieces of

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder duri ...

s were stored in the ground floor, which could be accessed by ramps. Small arms and ammunition were stored in the upper floor. The building was constructed in rubble work, window and door

jamb A jamb (from French ''jambe'', "leg"), in architecture, is the side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture. The jambs of a window outside the frame are called “reveals.” Small shafts to doors and windows with caps and bases are known ...

s are executed in

cut stone Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitr ...

of Buntsandstein. At the open court side the new arsenal was erected in

baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

since 1738 by Johann Maximilian von Welsch. The old arsenal was used since 1770 as electoral mint.

Current use

The building had been heavily damaged during the bombing of Mainz in World War II and totally worn out. After the reconstruction in 1951–52 initiated by the administration of the French allied forces the building was used by the Südwestfunk Mainz, a predecessor of the Südwestrundfunk, which provided regional

public broadcasting Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

. page 542 Today the building is used by the state chancellery of

and parts of the administration of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.

References

External links

*http://www.regionalgeschichte.net/rheinhessen/mainz/kulturdenkmaeler/zum-sautanz.html *http://www.mainz.de/tourismus/sehenswertes/altes-zeughaus.php {{Coordinate , NS=50/0/16/N , EW=8/16/19/E , type=landmark , region=DE-RP

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 ...

Buildings and structures in Mainz Renaissance architecture in Germany Tourist attractions in Mainz Office buildings in Germany