Picture Mainz as a Roman legion city. This is the K\u00e4strich. Its name comes from the Latin word “castrum” meaning camp. The K\u00e4strich marks the spot of a former Roman legion camp in Mogontiacum.
Around 13/12 BC, soldiers of Nero Claudius Drusus built the camp on a hill. It was the northern part of the camp. The terrain fell steeply to the northeast. This gave a view of Germanic territory across the Rhine. A civil town developed at the foot of this camp. The governor of Germania Superior may have resided here. Mogontiacum was its capital.
In the 4th century, the legion camp was abandoned. A new city wall was built. This wall separated the K\u00e4strich from the larger camp. Until modern times, this wall formed Mainz’s southwestern border.
From the Merovingian period into modern times, the K\u00e4strich remained undeveloped. It was within the Roman wall. Later, it was within the restored Carolingian wall. The slope became a vineyard. Noble estates like Bassenheimer Hof faced their baroque gardens toward the K\u00e4strich slope. The Martinsturm tower and Gaupforte gate stood to the southeast.
Building on the K\u00e4strich resumed in 1845. The Emmerich-Josef-Strasse was built in the northeast. A new Sch\u00f6fferhof-Dreik\u00f6nigshof brewery was among the first buildings. Christian Adalbert Kupferberg built the world’s deepest layered Sektkeller in 1850. He simply walled off the slope. This created the Mathildenterrasse, now the Kupferbergterrasse. The Mainzer Aktien Bierbrauerei opened next door in 1856.
In 1848, the first German Catholic Day inspired the Vincenzverein and Elisabethenverein. In 1849, they decided to build a hospital. The first St. Vincenz-Hospital was built on the K\u00e4strich. It had first been located in Mainz’s Altstadt.
On November 18, 1857, the Pulverturm near the Gautor exploded. It caused significant damage. Ignaz Opfermann used the rebuilding to plan the K\u00e4strich area. Terraces were built over the brewery and Sektkeller. A large arched gate framed by two staircases opened to the city.
In 1982, the Mainzer Aktien Bierbrauerei closed. An architecture competition led to a luxury housing complex plan. Hentrich, Petschnigg, and Partner designed it. The building harmonizes with the surroundings. A wide facade with four arcades visually closes off the Kupferbergterrasse. These arcades also allow the view that prompted the Roman camp’s founding. A Roman city gate and historical cellars were integrated into the complex.
In the middle of the 4th century, the city wall was shortened. The Roman theater and the abandoned legion camp were outside the wall. Old building material was reused. The paved camp road leading to the porta praetoria remained in use. A city gate was built for this road.
In 1985, the city gate and remains of the camp road were found. The road’s sandstone slabs showed wheel marks. These matched Roman vehicle widths. This indicated frequent use. The city gate was integrated into the housing complex. It is open to visitors. The remains of the double-shell wall and city gate are about 3 meters below street level. Two staircases provide access. The gate is the only Roman city gate found in Mainz. It is one of Germany’s latest Roman city gates. Near the R\u00f6mertor is the medieval Altertum. It stands on Roman foundations. It marks the site of a Roman city wall tower.
The K\u00e4strich today blends ancient history with modern living. You can see layers of Mainz’s past here. From Roman origins to modern architecture, the K\u00e4strich tells a compelling story. This area has been a strategic high ground. It has been a vineyard slope. It is now a residential area. The K\u00e4strich embodies Mainz’s enduring spirit.