Münsterplatz

Münsterplatz stands in Mainz’s old town as a major entrance to the historic centre and an important traffic hub. Five streets converge here: Große Bleiche, Schillerstraße, Bilhildisstraße, Binger Straße and Bahnhofstraße.

Its name recalls the former Münstertor of Mainz’s fortress and the nearby Altmünster Abbey. The demolished gate disappeared during city expansion, but Münsterplatz retained its historic name. Expansion removed several Altmünster houses and left some building plots undeveloped.

During the Weimar Republic, architects H. F. W. Kramer and Gottlob Schaupp shaped the square’s modern architectural character. Their design placed the Telegraph Office and Tax Office along Schillerstraße. The Telegraph Office rises higher and wider than the Tax Office, creating a clear architectural relationship between both buildings. Their symmetry and window arrangements echo each other.

The buildings use New Objectivity with Purist influences, while the nearby Erthaler Hof provides a decorated Baroque contrast. The plaza and adjacent Bahnhofstraße later received a comprehensive redesign. The redesigned urban setting brings transport routes, monument-zone buildings and Mainz’s historic centre together. Münsterplatz reveals how traffic, planning and architectural ideas shaped Mainz’s old town.