Slanted Special Issue: Rhineland-Palatinate

Following the Special Issues of Babylon (2013), Marrakech (2016), and Rwanda (2019), Slanted was curious to find out more about the German state Rhineland-Palatinate and highlight regional differences.In the state capital of Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg invented letterpress printing and delivered the first printed Bible in 1456, and probably drank a pint of wine on it (the region is famous for its grapes, after all). The state was formally founded from the French occupation zone after a referendum on the state constitution on May 18th, 1947, two years before the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany. The black, red, and gold of the flag of the Hambach Festival, the first democratic demonstration, are still the colors of the Federal Republic of Germany today.The state has a long tradition of arts and craftsmanship, supported and kept alive by a strong middle-class as well as robust regional institutions and cultural drivers. Awards such as the State Prize for Arts and Crafts promote,