We decided to have a low-key Saturday and visit the Gutenberg Museum which was a short drive away in Mainz on the Rhine River.
Johannes Gutenberg was born (1400) and died (1468) in his home town of Mainz, Germany. He was a blacksmith, goldsmith, inventor, printer and publisher.
In 1439 he invented a mechanical movable type printing press which started the Printing Revolution and is regarded as a huge milestone of the second millennium. By making learning more available to the masses his invention played a key role in ushering in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment and laid the material basis for the modern "knowledge-based economy".
Prior to his invention, books were handwritten.
His invention allowed for the mass production of printed books which was cheaper to make and purchase for printers and readers too.
His most widely recognized work was the Gutenberg Bible. It was the FIRST printed version of the Bible ever made. There are only 49 copies of the Gutenberg Bible in existence in the world. The museum has several of them.
The Bible shown below was purchased by the City of Mainz to be displayed in this museum in 1976 for almost 8 million dollars.
Any embellishments that were added were all hand-painted.
We are now the proud owners of a facsimile of a page in the Gospel of John from the Gutenberg Museum.
Mainz was home to powerful Archbishops who controlled much of the local politics and power in the region. This is the Mainz Cathedral.
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