Jüngerer Dalberger Hof (Younger Dalberger Hof), Mainz

The Younger Dalberger Hof in Mainz is a Baroque-style manor house completed in 1718 for the Barons of Dalberg. It was built as a replacement for the Older Dalberger Hof, which no longer reflected the growing prestige of the family. The site previously belonged to the Brendel von Homburg family, evidenced by a sandstone cartouche bearing their coat of arms. The new manor was designed by architect Johann Kaspar Herwarthel between 1715 and 1718 and is notable as one of the largest surviving aristocratic estates in Mainz.

The structure was commissioned by four brothers of the Dalberg family, with the inscription "Harmony among brothers built it'' marking their contribution. The three-story complex is organized around an inner courtyard, with its main façade featuring a prominent central Risalit facing Klarastraße. Originally adorned with rich furnishings and ceiling paintings by Giovanni Francesco Marchini, much of the interior was lost during the 1793 siege of Mainz.

The estate also included a garden at the rear of the Corps de Logis, possibly designed by Johann Baptist Ferolski, integrating the Cour d'Entrée with the garden, enclosed by the three wings of the building. The manor was once known as "To the Three Pig Heads'' because of the wild boar heads carved on the keystones of the entrances, which were later removed during its conversion into the Palace of Justice in 1828.

Throughout its history, the Younger Dalberger Hof served various functions. It was the site of a police headquarters, a court, and even a notorious prison during the National Socialist era, where many political prisoners, Jews, Sinti, Roma, and forced laborers were held before being transferred to concentration camps. The building suffered significant damage during an air raid in 1945 and was no longer used as a prison afterward. Today, a memorial plaque honors the building’s dark history during this period, and the courtyard is a stop on the Street of Democracy.