The Guttenberg Museum springs to mind when one hears of Mainz because of the fact that it is dedicated to the world of printing. The museum is the largest of its kind in the world and is named after Johann Gutenberg who was the inventor of the movable metal type printing technique that revolutionized publishing in the 15th century. The important collections include printing equipment and printed materials, a copy of the famous Gutenberg Bible and a reproduction of the original printing house. It should be on the bucketlist if you go day touring while in a kosher cruise. The Museum of Ancient Navigation focuses on the art of sailing through the centuries and is a wonderful place to visit if this is where your interests lie. It was opened in 1994 and it introduces visitors to six full-scale replicas from various periods of history, ranging from paddle boats to larger Roman galleons and also letters and documents relating to the lives of Roman sailors. The Roman-Germanic Central Museum is just downstream from the Theodor Heuss Bridge. It is the old 17th century Electoral Palace and was founded in 1852. It deals with German history as far back as the Stone Age and features collections of prehistoric and Roman antiquities as well as material from the early historical period. Pay a visit to the Wood Tower, which is a medieval tower that was used as a watchtower and gate-tower and later as a gaol, reminiscient of the gothic towers you see in Normandy when you go on a river cruise on the Seine. It was badly damaged in World War II and then reconstructed in 1961 for the 2000th anniversary of the city. Mainz is one of the oldest Jewish communities in Germany and it is thought that the Jews came to the town as merchants in the Roman era and could even have founded a settlement there. Archbishop Frederick (937-954) threatened the Jews with forcible conversion or expulsion and they were, in fact, expelled by Emperor Henry in 1012 after a priest had converted to Judaism. They were allowed to return and continued playing a lively part in the trade of town which was a commercial centre on the Rhine and Main Rivers. In the early modern era, only a few Jews lived in Mainz and they were expelled in 1579. However, a new community was restarted in 1583, which was reinforced by emigration from Frankfurt, Worms and Hanau; the shul was built in 1639. However, during the French occupation of 1644-1648, the Jews again suffered and were subject to harsher restrictions. On Kristallncht, the main shul, including the museum and library, was looted and burned down. After the Holocaust, the community was founded again by a small group of Jews. Up until the 1980s, there were about 75 Jewish families living in the town. However, it was increased sixfold when the Jews from the former Soviet Union arrived. The new shul and community centre was constructed on the site of the former Synagogue Hindenburgstrasse. After exploring the town return to your Kosher Riverboat Cruises boat and enjoy your evening, starting with a freshly-cooked glatt kosher meal prepared by our on-board team of chefs.
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