Strategically situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Main Rivers, Mainz has been the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate since 1946. This lively city has a sizeable university, pretty pedestrian precincts and a savoir vivre dating from Napoleon's occupation (1797–1814). Strolling along the Rhine and sampling local wines in a half-timbered Altstadt tavern are as much a part of any Mainz visit as viewing the fabulous Dom, Chagall’s ethereal windows in St-Stephan-Kirche, or the first printed Bible in the bibliophile paradise of the Gutenberg Museum.