Liebfrauenplatz, Mainz, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

Liebfrauenplatz is a small square on the east side of Mainz Cathedral in the old town of Mainz, Germany. It is a place where the city's medieval centre, its printing heritage and its 20th-century history meet within a few steps, and it is home to the Nagelsäule, a First World War nail monument.

The story behind it

The square takes its name from Our Lady, and it sits right beside the cathedral that has shaped Mainz for a thousand years. Today it is best known for the Nagelsäule, or Nail Column, which was inaugurated in 1916.

The column belongs to a German wartime fundraising campaign called Kriegsnagelungen, meaning war nailings. Citizens bought nails, from plain iron ones to more costly versions, and hammered them into a wooden monument. The money went to support soldiers' families and other relief efforts. The Mainz column is topped with an Iron Cross and carries the inscription In Kriegsnot helf uns Gott, which means In times of war, God help us. It is a sobering reminder of how ordinary people were drawn into the war effort at home.

What to look for

• Study the surface of the Nagelsäule up close, where the hammered nails form a texture that shows how many people took part.
• Read the inscription In Kriegsnot helf uns Gott and look up to the Iron Cross at the top of the column.
• Take in the cathedral's massive eastern side rising directly above the square, which gives a sense of scale you lose from the market square.
• Glance at the buildings around the square, which include the Gutenberg Museum, a reminder that Mainz is the city of Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press.

Tips for your visit

• The square is public and open to walk through, and ten to fifteen minutes is enough to see the column and look around.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kind to the cathedral walls, and the square is usually calmer outside the middle of the day.
• The cathedral and the Gutenberg Museum are both next door, so combine them with your stop. Check current opening hours for each before you go.
• The market square and the lanes of the old town are a short walk away, which makes the square an easy link between sights.

See it on a quest

The Mainz Sightseeing Treasure Hunt and Walking Tour: Gutenberg and the lost relic is a good way to see Liebfrauenplatz, because you reach it on foot as one stop on a longer route through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the column and the square more closely than you would on a quick pass. With a Gutenberg theme, it suits a city so closely tied to printing. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.