city hall, Mainz

Well, the city hall is not the most beautiful building in town as it is in most other towns. The one in Main was built in 1973 by the Danish architects Arne Jacobsen and Otto Weitling. It has a modern functional style

Heading north east from the Cathedral towards the river Rhein is the grim, but imposing building of the city hall. This monochrome mix of concrete and iron was the responsibility of the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, who designed it in 1973. The modern building replaced the original town hall, which by its location next to the Rhein practically guaranteed its destruction by Allied bombers using the river to line up the city in their sights. Now this striking building can be seen from the river, and the bridge entering the city, and makes a fascinating, if not beautiful in the traditional sense, addition to Mainz's low-rise skyline. That is when its view isn't obscured by the gaudy colours and lights of a passing fair as it was when I visited.