Schönborner Hof

Schönborner Hof is a baroque mansion in downtown Mainz featuring a three-story facade with symmetrical side wings and elaborate stone carvings throughout. Large windows dominate the front elevation, and the proportions reflect the wealth and authority of the prince-elector who commissioned the building.

Construction began in 1668 under Prince-Elector Johann Philipp von Schönborn with architects Clemens Wink and Christophe Dientzenhofer directing the work. The mansion emerged during a period when Mainz was an important ecclesiastical principality and noble palaces shaped the character of the city.

The mansion now serves as a French cultural center and cinema, hosting regular film screenings and exhibitions that bring together visitors interested in Franco-German connections. The elegant rooms create an inviting setting for people to experience art and cinema in a historic context.

The building is accessible through the main entrance on Schillerstrasse and regularly hosts cultural exhibitions and film screenings throughout the year. Visitors can explore the publicly accessible areas, especially when cultural events are scheduled.

Excavations in 2002 uncovered an original baroque fountain in what was once the garden area behind the mansion. This discovery revealed that water features were an important part of the property's original design, now lost to later developments.