Mainz

The extraordinary Romanesque cathedral of St Martin dominates the old town of Mainz, but the city has monuments from many centuries of occupation. The Romans built a legionary camp and a town, leaving behind a mysterious tower, a temple, a ruined aqueduct, a column dedicated to Jupiter, an arch and a theatre. The city also has a museum of Roman finds and Roman river shipping, the Museum für Antike Schiffahrt, with historical remains and reconstruction.

As well as being a pillar of the German church, Mainz was the place where a European revolution began. Mainz businessman Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type, which is memorialised in the Gutenberg Museum.

Monumental buildings from the 17th and 18th century also remain to admire.