Layenhof

On a windswept plateau southwest of Mainz-Finthen lies Layenhof. It’s a settlement born from the remnants of the Finthen Army Airfield. But the name Layenhof whispers of something older. It speaks of a vanished estate, a ghost in the landscape. The original Layenhof estate, established in 1783, was the brainchild of Franz Georg Zumbach. He was an official under the Mainz Dompropst Damian Friedrich von der Leyen. The estate, initially called “Leyen’scher Hof,” was carved from the lands of the Birkerhof, a grange belonging to Eberbach Monastery. This new estate sprawled across 230 Morgen of land. Layenhof served as a working farm until 1949, a testament to its agricultural roots. Its story takes a turn in 1939. The Fischer family, then owners of the Layenhof, were effectively dispossessed by the Wehrmacht’s Luftwaffe. A new airfield arose northwest of the estate. It was part of the “Schafheide Ober-Olm” military base, consuming parts of the Mönchwald and Finther Wald. This construction disrupted centuries-old pathways and drastically altered the water balance of the plateau. Layenhof itself became a temporary lodging for officers and airmen. It also served as a Luftwaffe-operated farm, supplying the troops with food. Russian prisoners of war toiled in the fields as forced labor. The shadow of World War II deepened in 1944. Prisoners from the Hinzert concentration camp, primarily Dutch and Luxembourgish resistance fighters, were brought to Finthen. They performed dangerous work, clearing and repairing the airfield’s runway under the watchful eyes of SS guards. These prisoners were housed in a barrack south of Layenhof, enduring harsh conditions. One prisoner, Jean-Pierre Jungles from Luxembourg, succumbed to his injuries there. After the war, Layenhof fell under French administration and then, briefly, under the care of the Finthen community. Its buildings, battered by war and neglect, were finally demolished in 1968. The Layenhof estate faded into memory. The name Layenhof wouldn’t remain forgotten. It reemerged, not as an estate, but as a settlement built upon the grounds of the former “Finthen Airfield Housing Area.” This new Layenhof, though geographically close to its predecessor, represents a different chapter in the history of this plateau. It stands as a reminder of the constant cycle of change and the enduring power of place names.