To truly appreciate how this simple city in Germany became a birthplace of modern travel literature, we need to explore the historical context of Mainz in the mid-15th century, the printing revolution, and the birth of early printed travel literature.
Mainz: The Birthplace of the Printing Revolution
Mainz, a city located along the Rhine River in modern-day Germany, was one of the centers of the European printing revolution. The name most famously associated with this revolution is Johannes Gutenberg, a German inventor, printer, and publisher. Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type printing press in the 1440s would change the course of history forever. His press allowed books to be printed much more quickly and cheaply than ever before, and it would set in motion the spread of knowledge across Europe.
In 1455, Gutenberg completed the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed using movable type. This was a groundbreaking achievement not only in the world of literature but also in how information would be shared across Europe in the centuries to come. But Gutenberg’s invention did not only produce religious texts; it also made the distribution of practical literature, including travel guides, possible.
The Birth of Travel Guides: The 1455 Mainz Edition
The concept of a travel guidebook can be traced to ancient times, with people writing detailed itineraries or accounts of their travels to guide others. However, it wasn’t until the development of the printing press that the idea of widely distributed, printed travel guides began to take shape. In 1455, Mainz became the home of one of the earliest attempts at such a guide: the "Itinerarium Burdigalense," or the "Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela."
This guide was essentially a manual for pilgrims who were traveling to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites of the time. The journey to Santiago, known as the Camino de Santiago, was a life-changing and arduous pilgrimage, and travelers needed as much guidance as they could get. The travel guides were filled with maps, descriptions of towns, roads, and potential hazards, providing pilgrims with useful, practical information to help them complete their journey safely.
Although this guide wasn’t the first to exist in manuscript form, the Mainz edition in 1455 marked a watershed moment in travel literature because of its mass production via Gutenberg’s printing press. Now, instead of relying on handwritten copies or oral accounts, pilgrims could obtain a printed guide that was more accessible and standardized. shutdown123