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The French influence in Germany dates back to the occupation of the city by the French Revolutionary army in 1792.
And in 1793, the Jacobins of Mainz – together with democrats from the surrounding region – proclaimed the Republic of Mainz.
Prussia wasn’t too keen on that idea and besieged and bombarded the French into submission within a matter of months.
The French must have liked it here, because they were back in a flash, (1797) occupying Mainz and the region until 1814.
And again between 1919 and 1930 under the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles.
And again in 1945.
So it’s not surprised to learn that the roads leading out of Mainz to the south (and passing through the villages) are called Pariser Strasse (Paris Road) and that people still refer to umbrellas as “paraplu”, pavements as “trottoir”, wallets as “porte-monnaie”. country roads are “chaussee”, alleys “reilscher” (from “Rueille”), a baby’s pram is a “chaise”, a brake a “Mick” (from “mechanique”) and folk “promeniere” when going for a stroll.
And street signs and house numbers in Mainz are to this day bleu, blanc et rouge.
Napoleon decreed that in 1798 and it’s never changed.
They did something similar in Cologne at the same time, numbering houses sequentially, so that “4711” happened to belong to the Mühlens family who made perfumed products….
That was repealed in 1811, but Mainz has stuck to its guns and continues to oppose attempts by the Federal government to force conformity with the rest of the country.
Good thing, too.
Mainz Daily Photo 
>Ummmmm… huh? I know 4711, though. The family I lived with in Minnesota had many bottles in the bathroom. I was never sure if it was for men or women.