House of Parliament (Deutschhaus), Mainz

The House of Parliament (Deutschhaus) is the current seat of the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate, located in Mainz. This Baroque palace, situated along the Rhine, has a rich historical background. The foundation stone was laid in 1730 by Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg, Archbishop of Mainz and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. Although the building was intended to serve as a residence for the Grand Master, Franz Ludwig had passed away by the time of its completion in 1737, meaning no Grand Master ever resided there.

Designed under the influence of French Baroque, the palace became one of the most magnificent secular buildings in Electoral Mainz, with contributions from renowned artists like fresco painter Christoph Thomas Scheffler, the Castelli family of stucco artists, and sculptor Burkard Zamels. Throughout its history, the House of Parliament has seen many uses. During the short-lived Mainz Republic in 1793, it housed the Rhenish-German National Convention, considered the first democratic parliament on German soil.

Later, it served as Napoleon’s residence during French occupation from 1798 to 1814. After the Congress of Vienna, the building became the secondary residence of the Grand Duke of Hesse. During the French occupation of the Rhineland after World War I, it hosted the Commander-in-Chief of the Armée française du Rhin, until the French withdrew in 1930.

The building suffered severe damage during World War II, with only its facades surviving. Rebuilt in 1951, the House of Parliament has since served as the plenary building for the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament. In 2013, the square in front of the building was renamed Mainz Republic Square in honor of the 220th anniversary of the Mainz Republic. After extensive renovations in 2015, the state parliament returned to the restored building in September 2021.