Gutenberg Museum

The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz is one of the oldest printing museums in the world, dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg, the Mainz-born inventor of printing with movable metal type. While a new museum is being built on its historic site, the collection is on show in the temporary exhibition "Gutenberg-Museum MOVED" in a former convent in the city center. The star attraction: two original Gutenberg Bibles, displayed side by side in a walk-in vault – a must for anyone interested in books and media history.

Why Gutenberg matters

More than 550 years ago, Gutenberg developed printing with movable metal letters in Mainz, triggering a media revolution that changed Europe and, eventually, the world. His 42-line Bible is the most famous early printed book. Mainz citizens founded the museum in 1900, and for decades it occupied the Liebfrauenplatz opposite Mainz Cathedral.

In October 2024 the old exhibition building closed for demolition and replacement. The museum reopened just six weeks later, at the end of November 2024, inside the Natural History Museum on Reichklarastraße. The historic Renaissance house "Zum Römischen Kaiser" on Liebfrauenplatz will be preserved and integrated into the new building; no reopening date for the new museum has been announced.

What to see

• The treasury: two copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible plus fragments of the 36-line Bible, with a projection showing page details up close.
• Printing demonstration: a 15-minute show on a reconstructed Gutenberg press, every hour on the hour and included in admission.
• How books were made: papermaking, punch cutting, type casting and bookbinding explained step by step.
• City model: an animated model of the places in Mainz where Gutenberg lived and worked.
• Print shop (Druckladen): a hands-on workshop where visitors aged six and up can set type and print.

Tickets and opening hours

As of October 2026, the museum is open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m., and closed on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1. On October 19, 2026, it opens at 11 a.m. because of staff training.

• Adults €10, reduced €6, ages 4–18 €4, family ticket €16, children under four free.
• Printing demos run hourly from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursdays until 7 p.m.).
• Guided museum tours, including the press demo and the Bible vault, run on Saturdays at 11:45 a.m. from May to October and monthly in winter (€14 plus admission; book through mainzplus CITYMARKETING). Private and group tours are offered in many languages through the same office.

How to get there

Mainz lies on the Rhine about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Frankfurt, making the museum an easy day trip from Frankfurt: S-Bahn trains connect Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt's main station with Mainz Hauptbahnhof, and the Deutschlandticket covers these regional services. From the station, you can walk through the center or take a bus to the Bauhofstraße or Schusterstraße stops, about five minutes from the museum (Reichklarastraße 1).

Drivers can use paid garages such as Römerpassage, Bleiche, Rheinufer, Am Brand or Rathaus-Rheingoldhalle. Do not head for Liebfrauenplatz: the old site is a construction zone.

Is it worth visiting?

Absolutely, if you have any interest in books, history or how ideas spread. Plan one to two hours. The exhibition is fully accessible with an elevator, and families can join the Family Saturday program on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

Nearby

• Mainz Cathedral: the thousand-year-old imperial cathedral is a short walk away.
• Natural History Museum: it shares the building with the Gutenberg exhibition.
• Old town: half-timbered Augustinerstraße and the Kirschgarten square, full of wine taverns.