ohannes Gutenberg, known as the “Father of Printing,” is honored in the city of Mainz, home to the Gutenberg Museum. Mainz is also the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate.Right across the Rhine River lies Wiesbaden, the capital of the neighboring state of Hesse. These two capitals are among the rare pairs of state capitals in Germany that directly border each other—similar to Berlin and Potsdam.

The Rhine forms the natural boundary between them, but interestingly, there’s an area on the opposite bank called “Mainz,” which actually belongs to Wiesbaden under administrative divisions.

Germany’s federal system means each state operates under different rules. Even the number of public holidays and the timing of school summer vacations vary by state. So, for residents of Mainz, their exact location—whether they work, study, or live on one side of the river or the other—can affect their holidays and school schedules.
This closeness to a state border gives Mainz its unique and sometimes puzzling charm.