In the midst of the discussion of the Pope’s
resignation and the anticipation of his successor, the New Europe
students played their part in the religious conversation during an
excursion to Mainz last week. South of Bonn, Mainz also sits on the
Rhine River and is the site of several aspects of historical—religious
significance in Europe.
It was a center of the “Christianization” of Germanic peoples and
became a powerful city of Catholic influence during the era of the
Holy Roman Empire. It also served as the home of Johannes Gutenberg,
who invented the movable type printing press and first used it for the
printing of the Bible. While here, the New Europe students were able to
create personal graphics on some of these presses, as well as tour the
cathedral at the town center. In addition, we had the opportunity to
listen to and talk with a rabbi at the Jewish synagogue in Mainz—a site
of very much turmoil, recovery, and reinvention since its devastation
during World War II. The new synagogue we visited was recently completed
in 2010 and stands as an architectural marvel of the city, functioning
not only as a place of worship, but also as a testament to the
resilience of the Mainz Jewish community. It makes a monument to a more
tragic time in history in Germany, but also clearly looks to future
progress in its design.
In the midst of the discussion of the Pope’s
resignation and the anticipation of his successor, the New Europe
students played their part in the religious conversation during an
excursion to Mainz last week. South of Bonn, Mainz also sits on the
Rhine River and is the site of several aspects of historical—religious
significance in Europe.
It was a center of the “Christianization” of Germanic peoples and
became a powerful city of Catholic influence during the era of the
Holy Roman Empire. It also served as the home of Johannes Gutenberg,
who invented the movable type printing press and first used it for the
printing of the Bible. While here, the New Europe students were able to
create personal graphics on some of these presses, as well as tour the
cathedral at the town center. In addition, we had the opportunity to
listen to and talk with a rabbi at the Jewish synagogue in Mainz—a site
of very much turmoil, recovery, and reinvention since its devastation
during World War II. The new synagogue we visited was recently completed
in 2010 and stands as an architectural marvel of the city, functioning
not only as a place of worship, but also as a testament to the
resilience of the Mainz Jewish community. It makes a monument to a more
tragic time in history in Germany, but also clearly looks to future
progress in its design.
