Built: 1975
Donated by: City of Miltenberg am Main

Although the haystack column is over 1,000 years old, the monument did not arrive at the Mainz market until 1975. The occasion was the 1,000th anniversary of the cathedral.

It arrived at the Rhine as heavy cargo from the Bullau Mountains near Miltenberg am Main. The haystacks lie there in a sea of rocks on the eastern slope of the mountains, in the bend of a path leading from Miltenberg to Mainbullau. A total of seven of these giants were stored there. In the 17th century, sources even mention 14 columns. According to historians, some of the columns have been turned into millstones over the past centuries.

The Miltenberg columns were probably the remains of a large order placed with stonemasons that was not completed in full, or they were defective pieces. According to one theory, the hay columns were once intended for the predecessor building of St. Martin's Cathedral.

This assumption is supported by the fact that no other construction project of comparable size was undertaken on the Rhine or Main rivers around the year 1000. It is also certain that the oldest Cologne Cathedral already had pillars. This assumption is further supported by the oldest preserved parts of the Mainz Cathedral's masonry, rock sandstones that also originate from the Miltenberg area.

According to one theory, the hay columns were once intended for the predecessor building of today's St. Martin's Cathedral, which was built under Archbishop Willigis and burned down in 1009.

The haystack column arrived at Mainz market in 1975, shortly before the inauguration of the newly designed cathedral squares, the market, Liebfrauenplatz, and Höfchen. The town of Miltenberg parted with the column with a heavy heart, but the mayor at the time believed that "the column would be in good hands on historic ground."

The Mainz haystack weighs 16 tons, is 6.40 meters high, and measures 1.20 meters in diameter. A bronze sculpture surrounds the column on all sides. It was created by the Palatinate sculptor Gernot Rumpf.

With its bronze cladding, the Heunensäule also tells many stories from the city's history.

One example is the headgear at all four corners of the monument:

• The replica helmet of a Roman legionnaire commemorates the establishment of the legionary camp in 13 BC and thus the Roman origins of Mainz. If you look closely, you can see a fox inside: it represents Jockel Fuchs, the mayor at the time the monument was built, while the mice behind him symbolize the three parties represented on the city council during the construction phase.
• The bishop's mitre symbolizes the Archbishop of Mainz, who shaped the city's history as its ruler. He had special rights over the other bishops in the Holy Roman Empire. As Imperial Archchancellor, he was also the second most important man after the Emperor. The mitre features casts of the seals of selected archbishops of Mainz, including that of Willigis. 
• The jester's cap symbolically originates from a Jacobin cap, as worn by the French revolutionaries – a tribute to the "Mainz Republic"
  of 1793 ...
• The imperial crown reflects the central position of the Archbishop and Elector of Mainz in the election of the Roman-German king. Several kings were even crowned in Mainz, including Frederick II of Hohenstaufen in 1212.

In addition to the depictions of the headdress, other details attest to the city's importance throughout the millennia: casts of Roman coins, the medieval city seal, and the early modern seal of the city court. Of course, the Mainz wheel in its various historical forms is also a must.

Two reliefs on the side facing the market houses refer to two particularly dark chapters in the city's history. The burning "Magenza" under the Star of David is a reference to the pogroms that repeatedly destroyed the once flourishing Jewish community of Mainz, most recently the extermination under Nazi rule. Next to it is an image showing the city after the destruction wrought by World War II, unleashed by the Nazi regime.

Today, the Hay Column is one of the city’s landmarks. It is a staple of city tours and, with its impressive appearance, often stands quietly at the center of the bustling city life: on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, when vegetable and flower vendors offer their wares at the weekly market. During Johannisnacht, Mainz’s major folk festival, it is surrounded by wine stands. And during the Christmas season, it plays a particularly important role: it becomes the focal point of the countless strings of lights that stretch across the market square and envelop the city in a festive atmosphere.