Above the portal of the Gutenberg Museum’s palace, an emperor, probably Charles VI, stands over the head of a Turkish soldier. A wealthy merchant built it in 1653, a few years after the Thirty Years’ War left Mainz in ruins. It was meant to restart the city’s building trade, and it did.

A century or so later it became a hotel, Zum römischen Kaiser, where Mozart, Voltaire and Goethe all stayed. Today the palace is home to the story of printing. The museum’s collection includes two original Gutenberg Bibles from the 1400s, among the first printed books. The museum is currently in temporary premises, but the palace remains on the tour.

VoiceMap’s Magnificent Mainz tour stops here to tell its story, points out the old fishermen’s alley beside it, and sets it against Gutenberg’s own life: he left Mainz more than once and did not grow rich.