Electoral Palace, Renaissance palace in Mainz, Germany.
Electoral Palace is a Renaissance building on the Rhine waterfront in Mainz, Germany, made up of several wings with corner turrets and decorated stone facades. The wings were built at different times, which gives the whole complex a varied look as you walk along its length.
Work on the building began in 1627 under Archbishop Georg Friedrich von Greiffenclau, but the Thirty Years War repeatedly interrupted construction, and the palace was not finished until 1752. After that, it changed hands and purpose several times, serving at different points as an administrative seat and later as a military barracks.
The south wing of the palace is home to the Landesmuseum Mainz, where visitors can see objects recovered from the ground of this region, from prehistoric tools to early medieval jewelry. The Roman glass collection is especially worth noticing, as it shows the craftsmanship of people who lived here nearly 2,000 years ago.
The palace sits directly on the Rhine waterfront in central Mainz and is easy to reach on foot from the old town. The north wing works as a congress center, while the south wing holds the museum, so it helps to know in advance which part you are heading to.
The palace was heavily bombed during World War II and stood as a ruin for decades before a major restoration effort beginning in the 1970s rebuilt its facades and interiors. This means that parts of what visitors see today are largely new construction built to match the original appearance.
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