Mainz-Drais (Drais) is a borough in the western part of
Mainz
Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
. The village was suburbanised by the City of Mainz in 1969, and is now its smallest subdivision, with just over 3,000 permanent residents.
Geography
Drais is located atop a hill overlooking Mainz and the Rhine Valley. The village of Drais has maintained its historical boundaries, and is surrounded by apple, plum and strawberry orchards.
Drais is surrounded by the larger more urban Mainz sub divisions of
Finthen,
Bretzenheim,
Gonsenheim and .
History
The earliest traces of settlement in the current location of Drais dates back to around 850–450 BC. A permanent settlement would only come around the year 1000 AD with the clearing of the Ancient Olm Forest. Drais was officially recognized by King
Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in t ...
on 24 August 1149 under the name 'Treise'. Throughout the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
Drais belonged to the
Archbishopric of Mainz under the direction of the office of Olm.
During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, Drais as well as many other villages, towns and cities in the region suffered greatly. In 1620 Drais was sacked and plundered by the General
Ambrogio Spinola during his campaign in the lower Palatinate. Several years later, as a result of the
Battle of Breitenfeld Drais was occupied by Swedish forces from 1631 till 1635.
In 1792 during the
French Revolution, the French Revolutionary Army took over Mainz and the surrounding areas. With the support of 130 German towns and villages, the French proclaimed the founding of the independent
Republic of Mainz. As this did not sit well with the Kingdom of
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
which was seeking to maintain its control of trade on the Rhine River, Prussian troops were immediately dispatched to lay siege to Mainz. During the
18-week Siege, Prussian troops occupied Drais. On 23 July 1793 the French surrendered Mainz.
After the
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
in 1797, the French retook the region with an army under the command of
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. During the occupation of France from 1797 till May 1814, Drais was governed by the newly formed French Département of
Mont Tonnerre. With the departure of the French, Mainz was assigned to the
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...
and became the capital of the province
Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen). Drais remained as an independent village within Rheinhessen, and then later
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
until its suburbanisation on 8 June 1969 by the city Mainz.
Today, Drais remains a traditional village within the city limits of Mainz.
Places of interest
Jesuit cloister
The former cloister of the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
order of the Propstei Hirzenach was built in Drais in 1670. Since 1773 with the breakup of the order, the building has been transferred through various private ownerships. The site of the cloister currently includes a retirement community.
Catholic church „Maria Königin“ (Queen Mary)
The Maria Königin Church was first erected in 1737 with the help of the local Jesuit community. The predecessor to the Maria Königin Church had been first erected in 1357 and had seen limited service since the 30 year's war due to extensive damage. The Catholic Church „Maria Königin“ continues to hold regular services
[. Drais is united with Lerchenberg, and the eveyday service is almost in the ''Altenzentrum'' in Drais. On Sundays, there is a mass in Lerchenberg and one in Drais] and is the main Catholic Church in Drais.
Fruit markets
Starting in late spring till early autumn, farms in and around Drais sell a portion of their harvest through local markets. Fruit at these markets include a variety of berries (including
strawberries
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...
),
cherries
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...
,
apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
s and
plum
A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century.
Plums are ...
s). Strawberries from Drais are well known to be among some of the best in the region due to Drais's geographical location. Mainz residents sometimes drive to Drais to buy fruit during the summer months.
Throughout the year, farmers also place fruit and vegetables for sale on open racks within the village. Payment is made on "goodwill" as no one is there to collect the payment.
Origins of the name
The name Drais most likely has its origins from the
Gothic word ''driusan'', which translates to "bubbling sources".
Literature
*''Die Mainzer Stadtteile''; Claus Wolf; Emons Verlag, 2004
*''Mainz – Die Geschichte der Stadt''; editors:
Franz Dumont,
Ferdinand Scherf,
Friedrich Schütz; 2nd edition;
Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1999
*''Vor den Toren der großen Stadt – 850 Jahre Drais 1189–1999–Beiträge zur Draiser Ortsgeschichte''; ed.: Walter G. Rödel;
* ''Drais und Marienborn. Die ältesten Besiedlungsspuren bis zu den ersten historischen Erwähnungen.''; Ronald Knöchlein, editor: Gerd Rupprecht, Archäologische Ortsbetrachtungen vol. 6, Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2004;
References
External links
Stadt Mainz– Information der Stadt Mainz zum Stadtteil Drais
drais.info– Webseite des Stadtteils Drais
bei
SWR Fernsehen
Marc Chagall Schule– Grundschule Marc Chagall in Mainz-Drais
{{Authority control
Boroughs of Mainz