Anna Seghers Library: Vice Chancellor Tours New Construction Project in Mainz [with photo]
Mayor Nino Haase welcomed federal and state ministers and advocated for funding for the library project at Gutenbergplatz. Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, along with Rhineland-Palatinate Ministers Doris Ahnen and Sven Teuber, praised the Mainz pilot project as a good example of an investment in the future. The city of Mainz will apply for federal and state funding for this project before the end of the year.
After half a century at the Bonifazius Towers, the public Anna Seghers Library is set to move into a new building in a central location on Gutenbergplatz—according to the City of Mainz’s plans. This will provide the library with significantly more space, bring together the previously separate locations (public areas and administration), eliminate rental costs, and reduce energy costs. At the same time, it will allow for the implementation of modern library concepts. The State Philharmonic Orchestra will also move into a rehearsal and concert hall that opens onto Gutenbergplatz through a “cultural window.” The building is being developed by a project development company formed by the regional partners J. Molitor Immobilien GmbH, Sparkasse Rhein-Nahe, and the Mainz Cathedral Chapter.
Together with the State Theater across the street, a cultural quarter is taking shape in the heart of the city.
However, the state capital of Mainz can only acquire the new building if funding is granted from the “Rhineland-Palatinate Plan for Education, Climate, and Infrastructure,” through which the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is implementing the federal government’s “Special Fund for Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality.”
The city of Mainz will apply for funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate Plan for the project as soon as possible. The project is therefore expected to be one of the first municipal investment projects for which funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate Plan will be sought. According to the City of Mainz, it could also become one of the earliest municipal projects in Germany to be implemented with funds from the federal government’s special fund. During the tour, Mayor Nino Haase strongly advocated to federal and state representatives for funding for this new construction project, which is so attractive to all involved.
Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil: “We are investing in libraries—and thus in educational opportunities. Here, knowledge is accessible to everyone, regardless of financial means, background, education, or profession. The library on Gutenbergplatz in Mainz is therefore a good example of how we are investing in the future. These are exactly the kinds of places we need: this is where people come together; this is where education and ideas take center stage. I wish the library team every success!”
Mayor Nino Haase: “Building a modern library in a central location is a significant investment in our city as an educational hub and an attractive way to draw visitors to our downtown area. We want to get this project off the ground as quickly as possible. Our ambitious goal is for the new Anna Seghers Library to become the first major municipal project financed through the Rhineland-Palatinate Plan and then implemented in the shortest possible time. For this reason, too, it would serve as a model investment project for Rhineland-Palatinate. A new building funded by the federal and state governments also represents a sustainable contribution to budget consolidation, as we will be able to save significant amounts on rent and energy costs every year going forward. The project therefore fits perfectly into the federal and state infrastructure program. You can hardly ask for a better investment.”
Doris Ahnen, Minister of Finance for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate: “The Special Fund for Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality is driving growth across Germany. Whether it’s the renovated rail line, improved civil defense, or the new sports arena—every euro invested makes a difference for local residents and for the companies that get to plan and build. As a state, we’re passing 60 percent of the funds on to the municipalities and supplementing them with an additional 600 million euros. Over the next nearly twelve years, that amounts to 3.51 billion euros that can be invested in the municipalities.”
Sven Teuber, Minister for Municipalities, Construction, Housing, and Culture of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate: “When people read, they learn about different perspectives, weigh them against one another, and form their own judgments. In an age when algorithms pre-sort information and volume often counts for more than arguments, this is more important than ever. The fact that, in 2026, a library of all things may be among the first projects funded by the special fund is therefore a deliberate statement. It bears the name of Anna Seghers, a native of Mainz who used her books to speak out against dictatorship. With the State Orchestra under one roof and the multi-award-winning State Theater across the street, a true cultural quarter is taking shape at Gutenbergplatz. Culture creates the spaces where we listen to one another, debate, and reach understanding. Whoever invests here is investing in our democracy.”
Ata Delbasteh, Head of the Department of Culture and Education for the City of Mainz: “Libraries are places of education for everyone. Our plans call for significantly more space, a prime location, and state-of-the-art facilities. At the same time, contemporary library concepts can be implemented here: the ‘third place,’ makerspace, attractive lounge areas, multimedia offerings, user-friendly self-checkout, and the Open Library. This will ensure the positive further development of Mainz’s library landscape.”
Tina Badrot, Managing Director of J. Molitor Immobilien GmbH, which is developing the project in collaboration with Sparkasse Rhein-Nahe and the Mainz Cathedral Chapter: “It was clear to us from the very beginning that this special location had to become a place for people to come together. It took courage, persuasion, and many discussions to turn this idea into a viable concept. The fact that we are now on the path to realizing the new Anna Seghers Library and the State Orchestra, thanks to the many enablers at the city, state, and federal levels, sends a strong signal. It shows what is possible when people believe in an idea together and pursue it with courage and perseverance.”
Markus Müller, Artistic Director and Managing Director of the Mainz State Theater: “The new orchestra rehearsal and chamber music hall being built here with federal support is of great importance to us. We at the Mainz State Theater have just been named Opera House of the Year—to maintain this artistic excellence, we urgently need good, improved rehearsal conditions. Excellence on the one hand—inclusion on the other: As a third venue in partnership with the Anna Seghers Library, we can make it easy for those who don’t naturally find their way to culture to join us. This sends an important social message, because culture opens up spaces of resonance where democracy can be heard. It is a creative response to the dangerous tones coming from those in the echo chambers who are currently aggressively attacking the freedom of art.”
Background information
On June 17, 2026, the Mainz City Council approved the plans submitted by the city administration for the new library on Gutenbergplatz. The primary goal of these plans is to continue providing the residents of Mainz with an attractive, centrally located public library for decades to come. At the same time, according to the plan, the library’s floor space is set to increase by more than 60 percent compared to the current location, as Mainz has significant room for improvement in this area relative to its population size, as evidenced by national guidelines and comparisons with other cities. The move of the Anna Seghers Library to the new building will also involve investment in modern facilities.
The city council resolution provides for two options: The “small solution” involves acquiring a partial leasehold interest in the property for a term of 99 years. The “big solution” is preferred, provided it can be financed to 90% through a grant: Under this plan, the entire property would be acquired. The City of Mainz would then be the sole owner of the land and building once it is completed. The additional costs compared to the “small solution” are to be financed, among other things, by selling the no-longer-needed property at the former “Haus des Deutschen Weins.” In addition, the city would then receive regular income from leasing the upper floor to the State Theater for an orchestra rehearsal and chamber music hall.
The project is to be implemented with the help of funding from the “Rhineland-Palatinate Plan for Education, Climate, and Infrastructure.” Back in April, Mainz became the first municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate to submit the required “regional implementation plan.”
The “Rhineland-Palatinate Plan” funding program has a total budget of 3.5 billion euros, which is intended to support municipal investments over the next twelve years. Mainz is allocated a regional budget of approximately 167 million euros. Applications for funding can still be submitted this year.
As the most-visited cultural institutions nationwide, public libraries offer all age groups and social classes—with low barriers to entry and without any pressure to consume—free access to knowledge and information; they promote language, reading, and media literacy; and they support the formation of pluralistic and democratic opinions. As places of exchange, encounter, and cultural, digital, and social participation, they make a valuable contribution to strengthening the community, counteract social division, and enrich public life.
Since 1980, the Central Library of the Mainz Public Library—Anna Seghers has been located on a 1,600 m² site between the two Bonifatius Towers. Outside of these areas, the administrative offices (offices and storage spaces) are housed in Bonifatius Tower A and spread across two floors. The lease agreements are set to expire in the coming years. A renovation of the premises and an upgrade of the facilities are planned. Furthermore, the space is significantly too small—both by national standards and when compared to other cities. The need for a high-quality environment (a place for reading, learning, working, and social interaction for an average of 750 visitors per day the library is open, as well as more programs and space for the children’s library) has increased significantly in recent years.
A new building on Gutenbergplatz presents a unique opportunity to create a modern library in a central location with significantly more space—expanding the public area from approximately 1,600 m² to just under 2,700 m². Having the public and administrative areas under one roof enables time- and resource-efficient work organization for the benefit of all involved. This will facilitate the positive further development of Mainz’s library landscape based on the Library Development Plan for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate (2025). At the same time, this facility allows for the implementation of contemporary library concepts: “third place,” makerspace, attractive lounge areas, multimedia offerings, user-friendly self-checkout, and “Open Library.”
Costs and Timeline
The administration’s draft budget for 2027 allocates 48.5 euros in capital expenditures for the “Kulturhaus” project at Gutenbergplatz (excluding furnishings). The City Council has yet to approve this allocation.
The Anna Seghers Library is scheduled to open in the new building on Gutenbergplatz in the summer of 2028—provided that funding is approved promptly.
Among others, the following people took part in the tour:
- Lars Klingbeil, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance
- Doris Ahnen, Minister of Finance of Rhineland-Palatinate
- Sven Teuber, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Construction, Housing, and Culture of Rhineland-Palatinate
- Nino Haase, Mayor of Mainz
- Ata Delbasteh, Deputy Mayor of Mainz
- Tina Badrot, Managing Director of J. Molitor Immobilien GmbH, on behalf of Fuststraße Entwicklungs GmbH & Co. KG (project company)
- Markus Müller, Artistic Director of the Mainz State Theater
- Dr. Stephan Fliedner, Director of the Office of Culture and Libraries, City of Mainz
- Fabian Faerber, Faerber Architects
