Schönborner Hof

Schönborner Hof stands at Schillerplatz in Mainz, on the northwestern edge of the former Thiermarkt. Builders completed the residence between 1668 and 1670. It is regarded as Mainz’s first noble residence in the Baroque style, despite similarities to the late Renaissance Haus Römischer Kaiser. The building served the Schönborn family as a city residence. Philipp Erwein von Schönborn commissioned the project, and Clemens Hinck designed its main building in Mainz. Edmund Rokoch possibly advised the main building’s design. Its original form had one upper floor and a side projection with Renaissance stepped gables. The estate also included the formal Schönborn Garden. Early Baroque grounds featured broderie parterre, fountains, water features, and a garden house with loggias. The Wichernhaus joined the complex in 1773. Under French rule, the residence became a barracks and hospital, then served as an officers’ casino. War damage preceded restoration to its seventeenth-century form. The site includes the Institut français, CinéMayence cinema, and the University of Mainz’s Institute for Pre- and Early History. The Institut français offers French literature, newspapers, films, and music. The Wichernhaus accommodates the Landeshochschulkasse of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Mainzer Schoppenstecher statue stands in remaining green space between Schönborner Hof and the Proviantamt.