Sister Cities

Mainz became one of our sister cities officially in 1994 — though the relationship began in 1976 as a student exchange program — and the two locations have a lot in common. We have similar populations, are both tourist cities, and have great opportunities for exchange programs.

Louisville and Mainz share a love and appreciation for art, both having many events and museums promoting and displaying art.

City (2023): 223,000

Capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate Region

Founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC for military purposes due to its good strategic location between the Main and Rhine rivers

Taken by the Franks right before the fall of the Roman Empire

An area passed between France and Germany throughout history

Bombed heavily during WWII, destroying 80 percent of the city’s center and historic buildings, and had to be reconstructed

Birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press

More detailed history of the city can be found here 

Carnival or "Fassenacht" in Mainz is called the “fifth season.”

Mainz is twinned with eleven cities and towns around the globe: Baku (Azerbaijan), Dijon (France), Erfurt (Thuringia/Germany), Haifa (Israel), Kigali (Ruanda), Longchamp (France), Louisville (Kentucky/USA), Rodeneck (South Tyrol/Italy), Valencia (Spain), Watford (Great Britain), and Zagreb (Croatia).

In May 2013, Mainz became a Fairtrade city.

The Mainz Cathedral: built in 975 AD

Gutenberg Museum

There are museums of art, history, and natural history, as well as a diocesan museum.

Mainz Carnival (Mainzer Fastnacht, "Määnzer Fassenacht" or "Meenzer Fassenacht") is a months-long citywide carnival that lasts from November to Ash Wednesday, one of the longest carnivals in Germany with an emphasis on political and literary humor

Weinmarkt: wine market festival

Johannisnacht: St. John’s Night, a celebration of Johannes Gutenberg

Mainz is the site of pre-Lenten festivals

German is the predominant language

Boating and cycling are the two most popular activities

Mainz has an oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate generally features cool to warm summers and cool to mild winters (for their latitude), with a relatively narrow annual temperature range and few extremes of temperature.

The climate produces a soft, easy-to-drink, medium-bodied Riesling.

Weck, Worscht un Woi: a traditional lunch of bread rolls, sausage, and wine

Saumagen: a cooked sausage made with spiced pork and vegetables

Riesling: the signature wine of the region

Located in Rheinhessen, the largest wine-producing region of Germany, Mainz is the country's wine capital, offering a huge variety of authentic wines produced by local winegrowers.

A university city from 1477 until 1816, Mainz regained this status with the establishment in 1946 of Johannes Gutenberg University, with which special institutes are associated, including the Institute for Economic Research. 

Also in the city are the Max Planck Institutes for Chemistry and for Polymer Research and the Academy of Sciences and Literature.

After a “friendship circle” was formed with Mainz in 1976, the official sister city relationship with Louisville began in 1994.