Fruit Hall (Mainz)
The fruit hall in Mainz was built in 1837/39 by the architect Franz Geier on the site of the Dominican monastery , which was destroyed when Mainz was bombarded in 1793 by coalition troops from Prussia and Austria . It served first as a grain exchange ("fruit") and market hall , then also as a gym for the Mainz Turnverein from 1817 and, due to its size, as a festival hall for all kinds of celebrations: meetings, exhibitions of the trade association, banquets, auctions, etc. The meetings of the Mainz Carneval Association had taken place there since 1865.
Historically it can be assigned to the round arch style. The entrance with three gate-like arches was on Dominikanerstraße. The large gates were flanked by a further small entrance each. The three coupled arcades on the upper floor are reminiscent of the Romanesque .
The hall was approximately 46 m long, 42 m wide and 16 m high. The aviation pioneer Paul Haenlein used this in 1871 to present a model of an airship powered by a clockwork spring motor.
On the night of August 17th to 18th, 1876, the fruit hall burned down. The area was no longer uniformly planned, but divided into several plots and today does not show any stylistic characteristics. The function of an event location was fulfilled by the town hall built in 1884 .
obituary
“So the Lord finally succeeded in
destroying you completely!
In the end you were conquered with numbers,
When it was almost impossible to do otherwise.
And it was done to save us money.
Certainly this is a fine end;
But one throws it, as we have often experienced
it, often elsewhere in D..ck!
But enough, one knew how to get it through,
one was simply capriculated;
What does it matter what the people are chattering about?
The " Rheinhall " had long been projected.
So farewell, we will not forget
what you were to us, you old house!
What we once owned about you,
even the "new hall" no longer extinguishes.
You should have stayed twice as valuable to us,
because Gutenberg , who is also a "Mainz child",
should, as historians write about it,
rest here. How ungrateful people are.
What would other cities give
if they could explore such a grave!
Here you keep a few thousand marks next to it
and deal with the matter as business.
The carnival seems died with you,
from Gram maybe he burned with you.
How long will this joy be spoiled for us?
Oh, some beautiful things are banished with you.
No circus will rise splendidly here,
The Fruchthall no longer shows us "Käthchen Renz";
We won't see any more exhibitions, no more
Floras children, no more music conferences.
But you can't complain to us,
the "old Mainz" always wanted you;
Whoever couldn't get along with you has
also grumbled with us Mainzers themselves.
Hopefully the fruit ball
mosquitoes will often visit him at night in his sleep,
When terrible ghosts haunt him
And that is his punishment! -
What do you think the future will bring us?
Perhaps the "new hall" on the Rhine?
Whether the gentlemen are still singing happily:
"Nah! Our money won't get anything." "
Web links
- Information from Theodor Eichberger about the fruit hall
- Information from the Frankfurter Hof (Mainz)
- History of the Mainz gymnastics club from 1817
- History of the Mainz Carneval Club
- Predecessor building Dominican monastery
Coordinates: 49 ° 59 '57.4 " N , 8 ° 16'11.3" E