“Nur Rosenmontagszüge sind schöner” This proclamation once adorned a massive banner draped across the Stadthaus Kreyfig-Flügel during Mainz’s famous Rose Monday parade. A testament to its past. Can you imagine?
Before it became a vital hub of Mainz’s city administration the Stadthaus Kreyfig-Flügel had a fascinating life. It wasn’t always a place for issuing marriage licenses or providing social services. This building originally served the Hessian Ludwig Railway. Architect Philipp Johann Berdellé the same architect behind Mainz’s main train station designed the Lauteren-Flügel in 1888.
The grand private railway companies of that era eventually lost their significance. The Hessian Ludwig Railway was nationalized in 1897. The building then housed the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate. After 1922 it became the Reichsbahn directorate then the Federal Railway directorate in 1953.
In 1938 a major expansion took place. The Kreyfig-Flügel a new structure named after Eduard Kreyfig was built along Kaiserstraße. This addition connected to the older Lauteren-Flügel via a covered bridge. That bridge became a unique advertising space during Rose Monday.
The Second World War brought devastation. The older building complex was reduced to rubble. A new building rose from the ashes in 1955. Its grey travertine façade is typical of 1950s architecture.
The name Stadthaus itself has a rich history. After Mainz lost its city freedom the original town hall lost its function. The archbishop moved it to a different building. Lack of space led to a move to a baroque brewery. It was then called the Stadthaus reflecting the loss of city freedom and the resulting decline in civic pride.
After the destruction of the Stadthaus in 1942 much of the city administration moved temporarily. A new representative town hall was finally inaugurated on the Rhine in 1973.
Until 1998 this building served the German Federal Railways and later Deutsche Bahn AG. With its transformation into Mainz’s Stadthaus 110 years of railway history in Mainz came to an end. This building stands as a visible reminder of Mainz’s layered past. A blend of railway history and modern municipal governance.