Gutenberg Museum

Mainz, Germany

The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world, located opposite the cathedral in the old part of Mainz. It is named after Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of printing from movable metal type in Western Europe.

Among the biggest treasures of the collection are two original Gutenberg Bibles printed around 1450. Another highlight is the recreated workshop of Gutenberg where skilled printers demonstrate how books were printed in the 15th century. A short film introduces visitors to the life and work of the inventor of the modern printing press.

At the Gutenberg Museum, you will see printing presses from all eras, learn about printing techniques used in Europe and elsewhere, and find out how books were produced in the past. The museum also explores the history of paper and writing. Additionally, it features a special area dedicated to the history of print media. The collection of the Gutenberg Library includes job prints, bookplates, and print graphics as well as posters, fine editions, and art books (by appointment only).

Temporary exhibitions focus on the history of book production, modern print graphics or typography, spanning from Gutenberg's time to the 21st century.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1900
Category: Museums in Germany
Historical period: German Empire (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.mainz.de

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

B. S. (2 years ago)
An interesting museum on the history of printing and books. Admission is only 5 euros
1 2 (2 years ago)
This museum presents the development of printing technology around the world from a very objective and neutral perspective. The museum has a collection of Gutenberg's earliest printed works and printing machines of various periods. In addition, the organizer also provided a live demonstration of printing technology, as well as a short film of Gutenberg's life in German or English.
Pasan Sensouk (2 years ago)
It's a must visited museum in Mainz, you will learn something new from this place for sure. There are lots of exhibitions, demonstration about the letterpress informative, it's just informative!
Red Lemonade (2 years ago)
A fun and informative approach to history for everyone. You get to see the original Gutenberg bible and old printing systems. We received an audio tour with headphones and a little digital player as you walked around. At the end there was a screen printing activity which was fun.
Argin Abnousian (2 years ago)
For all the people who are enthusiastic about printing, books and history... You MUST visit this amazing museum
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.