In the heart of Europe, in the middle of Germany, conveniently located in Rhineland-Palatinate, but only on the edge of the Rhine-Main area: When trying to locate Mainz and the people of Mainz correctly, it ultimately depends on your own point of view .
And when it comes to the importance of the currently up-and-coming university and media city for the metropolitan region around Frankfurt Airport, which has grown together on the other side of the river, the Rhine - commuter streams or not - still has something separating it.
It is not for nothing that the CDU in Mainz is constantly calling for another car bridge.
Where the people of Wiesbaden have repeatedly rejected the future project "Citybahn".
A tram line would have brought the two state capitals, whose citizens get along quite well outside of the fifth season, closer together.
So far, the neighbors have only been real partners in a few areas: out of necessity in local transport and as the operator of the Mainz-Wiesbaden power plants.
When it comes to other issues, whether residential construction or commercial settlements, parochial thinking still prevails.
Currently with slight advantages for the left side of the Rhine, where thanks to the enormous increase in trade tax revenue (for which the vaccine manufacturer Biontech SE is likely to be responsible), the assessment rate has just been reduced from 440 to 310 points.
This makes the city, which intends to become a renowned biotech location within a few years, more interesting for companies wanting to settle there.
The metropolitan region needs each of its cities
The Mainz way of life, in which a lot revolves around the wine spritzer, but also the manageability of the 220,000-inhabitant municipality are, in addition to the newly created residential areas, whether at the customs port or on Heiligkreuzweg, further arguments for the fact that the 2000-year-old city is lets live well.
This was once again emphatically demonstrated at the weekend, at the celebrations for the 75th birthday of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The map of the diocese, which stretches far into Hessian to about Erbach and Seligenstadt, is a reminder of the former size and importance of Mainz.
What the Church has succeeded in, namely overcoming the Rhine as a natural border, would also be desirable for politicians at city and state level.
Because in order to be able to sell the Rhine-Main metropolitan region as well as possible throughout Europe, every city and every community is needed.
Just like in football, where, in addition to Eintracht, luckily there are also Mainz 05, Darmstadt 98 and Kickers Offenbach.