Today we traveled to Mainz and Bad Soden. Mainz is the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate and is located on the left bank of the Rhine River.  We hopped on a train this morning and headed out to explore the Gutenberg museum and some Catholic Churches.Upon arriving in Mainz we witnessed a different atmosphere than that seen in Frankfort. This was a much smaller town than Frankfurt. The funny thing about this atmosphere was the random statues throughout the city. We included pictures below.

The first church that we visited was the Hober Dom zu Mainz, also known as Mainz Cathedral or St. Martins Cathedral. This church was very big and had amazing architecture.  The middle of the church had pews for the congregation with an alter at the front. The ceilings were very high. They were built this way so that the priests’ voice was projected across the entire church. This was important because obviously there were no sound systems when it was built over 1000 years ago. Another unique aspect of the church was the pulpit located the middle of the congregation section. This pulpit was very elaborate with a stage for the priest to stand and a covering that was beautifully designed. On the sides of the church, surrounding the interior wall were confessional/chapel rooms. Each had a different theme for the center alter. This is where we can see the age of the church once more because of the different styles used. The church also houses the tombs of former archbishops.

The second church was St. Stephens church. Originally built in 990, it is the second most renowned church in Mainz. One impressive feature of the church is the stained glass windows behind the alter. Marc Chagall, a Jewish artist, is responsible for these works of art. He created the biblical story in these window panes. Because of the primary blue color in most of the window panes the church had a blue light through. Along with the inside this church had a very beautiful court yard. Along with a number of carvings on the wall, some damaged by the war, we found a "lumberjack Jesus." We mean this in the most respectful way possible, in no means are we trying to devalue Jesus's image or the picture, but as some below Jesus is definitely throwing his axe handle for SFA.  Axe em Jacks!!

After visiting the cathedral, we visited the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to the one and only, Johannes Gutenberg. He was the man who created and patented the printing press that leads to increase in literacy, knowledge, and religious affairs, especially with his Gutenberg Bible. Now, information could be printed faster and more efficiently, thus allowing it to spread all across Western Europe. Bibles could now be produced so more people could buy them, no longer solely depending on the pastors and ministers. This made it where people could not only learn the read and write, but also form their own opinions and interrupt the Bible as they wanted. They no longer would have to only go off of whatever was said by their priest. Books and music sheets could also be produced at a faster rate because they no longer had to depend on scribes hand-writing copies of everything.

While at the museum we got to watch a demonstration of how to properly create the letters for the printing press, how to load the printing press, and finally how to print a page, Gutenberg-style. It was really interesting to see how much work and intricacy went into the process. Unfortunately the camera polizei came through and forbade any pictures to be taken of the actually exhibit upstairs, so we don’t have any pictures to share. But it was so amazing to see actual Gutenberg Bibles in the flesh, and see original works that were copied using a printing press. There was even an Asian section where they had almost every Chinese character carved out into wood that could later be used for printing.It was so cool to see the original printing press, and some original pages that were copied so long ago. I recommend anyone to go check out the Gutenberg Museum just because it’s so cool to see.

Lastly, we ended our day in Bad Soden. Bad Soden am Taunus is a spa town that has been a destination for wealthy patrons and visitors to retreat to for vacation. Bad Soden is a peaceful town that invites you to explore and engage in their scenic trails and parks. Walking through Bad Soden, one quickly notices that there is a lot of green space in the town. It is as the community is one with nature. One of the coolest things we saw on our trip to Bad Soden was the eclectic architectural work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian artist. He incorporated nature into his designs of the homes and apartment complex that we saw. Walking through the courtyard was a surreal experience, it was like we had walked into a fairytale off a Disney movie (so cliché but it’s true). The apartments had these massive columns with different colors and patterns to entertain the eyes. It was extremely hard not to have your mouth open because of how unique this place was.

Later that evening we had the opportunity to go to a barnyard turned restaurant at the top of the hill. Once at the top, we could see Frankfurt in the distance. It was so beautiful. From the tall grass that blew in the wind to the wind whispering in your ear causing a chill down your spine; we were able to bask in the beauty of Bad Soden and all it had to offer. This town is one that many will not forget.


Written by: Kimberly, Arianna, Felecia