Mainz is located on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite the confluence of the Main and the Rhine.
Downstream from the confluence, the Rhine flows northwest, with Mainz on the left bank and Wiesbaden, the capital of the neighboring state of Hesse, on the right bank.
Mainz is an independent city with a population of 219,501, part of the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main metropolitan area.
Mainz was founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC as a military fortress on the northernmost border of the empire and the capital of the province of Upper Germany.
Mainz became an important city in the 8th century AD as part of the Holy Roman Empire, the capital of the Electorate of Mainz and the seat of the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz, Primate of Germany.
Mainz is famous as the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the movable type printing press, who produced his first books, including the Gutenberg Bible, in the city in the early 1450s.
Mainz suffered greatly during World War II;
More than 30 air raids destroyed most of the historic buildings in the city center, but many were rebuilt after the war.
Mainz is known as a transport hub, wine center and many converted historical buildings.
One of the Schum cities, Mainz, and its Jewish cemetery are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.