Project Highlights:
Mainz, Germany - The city of Mainz has announced the formation of a coordination council to advise on the development of an overall concept for presenting Roman Mainz, with a focus on the return of the Great Mainz Jupiter Column. The column, a symbol of the city's wealth and history, was dismantled for restoration purposes in May 2015 and has not returned since.
The Great Mainz Jupiter Column, one of the largest of its kind, was built between 63 and 67 AD by wealthy merchants in the ancient Mogontiacum, in honor of Emperor Nero. It stands at its designated place before the Mainzer Landtag, where it has been preserved in the Romano-Germanic Central Museum for over six decades.
The column, style-defining for a whole category of giant columns, is expected to return to its original place immediately after the restoration work is completed. However, no specific dates or plans for the return have been publicly announced.
The city has not yet commented on the whereabouts of the Jupiter model presented in the Mainz Isis Temple in 2015. The "Save Roman Mainz" association, founded to demand the return of the Great Mainz Jupiters Column, hopes that the city will take the necessary steps to facilitate its return.
In addition to the column's return, the city plans to renew the ground lighting as part of the reinstallation process. The Great Mainz Jupiter Column's base appears weathered, suggesting that it may require reinforcement for stability reasons, as with the Great Mainz Jupiter Column's stainless steel skeleton.
The presentation of the Great Mainz Jupiter Column is part of the overall concept for presenting Roman Mainz, currently being developed with the involvement of numerous experts. The Initiative Roman Mainz has not been invited to any meeting of the coordination council so far.
For those seeking an official timeline for the pillar’s return, it is recommended to consult the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz or the Mainz city cultural heritage authorities directly, as no current publicly available sources specify such plans or dates. The return of the Great Mainz Jupiters Column remains a significant event, reflecting the history of the city of Mainz and its ancient trading metropolis Mogontiacum.
The Great Mainz Jupiter Column, a symbolic representation of Mogontiacum's historic home-and-garden lifestyle, is planned to return to its original place after restoration, reviving the city's Roman past. The city's lifestyle will be further enhanced with the addition of renewed ground lighting during the reinstallation process.
