movable type
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This post is about a visit to the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz. We have a good Turkish breakfast and marvel at flamingos.
“Old books!” exclaimed the weirdo once again. And so we went to the Gutenberg Museum. Johannes Gutenberg, who is typically credited with the invention of movable type in Europe, lived here in Mainz in the 15th century.
Turkish breakfast
But first we went and had breakfast, Turkish breakfast. One of Germany’s tragedies was the fact that many people seemed to associate Turkish food mainly with döner kebab: dude with a mustache and a long knife standing next to a vertical rotisserie. Just that.
Oh, the unsung joys of Turkish breakfast!
the museum
It was already early in the afternoon when we arrived at the museum. First we went to a demonstration of Gutenberg’s printing process. A dude was operating a big mechanical press. There were a few cheers from the audience, and a little kid with his mom got to operate the press. It was fun.
The museum itself wasn’t so good, though. It was very dark, and the light sources were somehow installed in positions so that the visitors would cast their own shades on the exhibits. Also, the museum wasn’t very interactive or immersive. Whereas the Humanist Library in Sélestat had been an open space with lots of light and computer screens that explained the exhibits, the Gutenberg Museum was a bunch of dark rooms and corridors with old books in them.
One vault room had Gutenberg’s original bible in it. And while it was indeed fascinating to think that this very book had been created by Gutenberg himself, it was still a somewhat impersonal experience.
We walked back through a park and saw a bunch of flamingos, though.
“Aren’t they cold?” asked the weirdo.
pictures
the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz:
traffic light with a green Mainzelmännchen
traffic light with a red Mainzelmännchen
Turkish breakfast
the Gutenberg museum in Mainz
movable type printing demonstration
letters
“Chinese characters”
old books in the Gutenberg museum
Japanese prints
Chinese type case
shades
miniature books
antique printing press
Stanhope press
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral from the west
flamingos in Volkspark Mainz