Heunensaeule, Mainz

The Heunensäule, also known as Heune columns, are round columns made of sandstone that were originally intended for the reconstruction of the Willigis Cathedral in Mainz, which burned down in 1009. They were probably completed in the 11th century in a quarry in the Bullauer Berge near Miltenberg before the order was placed, due to anticipatory business acumen. However, the builder probably opted for other supports, so that the round supports were never needed. There are said to have been 42 of the columns, in the 18th century there were still 14, and around 1960 there were still eight.

The Heunen columns, which are still preserved today, are located in different places. The best-known of them stands as a memorial in Mainz. Two more are in Nuremberg and Munich, another on the waterfront in Miltenberg.

On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the construction of the cathedral in 1975, the city of Miltenberg donated one of the haystack columns (also "giant column") to the city of Mainz. The Mainz Heunensäule weighs 16 tons, is 6.40 meters high and has a diameter of 1.20 meters.

The circular support, today one of the symbols of the city, was set up in the middle of the market and framed with a bronze base by the Palatinate sculptor Gernot Rumpf, who explained the history and nature of the city of Mainz very comprehensively by depicting various headgear from the history of the city of Mainz represents. So looks z. B. from a Roman gladiator mask a fox with the initials O.B. (Lord Mayor), symbolizing the former Lord Mayor of Mainz Jockel Fuchs. You can also see a little bird with the initials "M.P." (Prime Minister Vogel at the time). The gladiator mask is reminiscent of the town hall on the Rhine, known in Mainz as the "Fuchsbau", with its latticed façade elements. The fox is accompanied by three mice inside, which represent the factions of the SPD, CDU and FDP represented in the city parliament during the planning and construction phase. The mice are also the trademark of the artist Gernot Rumpf. In the tip of the Jacobin hat, which is reminiscent of the time of the Mainz Republic, there is also a moving part that, if found, makes a loud rattling noise.