Nucleon form factor measurements in Mainz: Past and future

The form factors of protons and neutrons provide a natural and direct insight into their internal structure. They were a main research goal in the nuclear physics program of the Universität Mainz, which led to some of the most precise measurements to date. This article gives an overview, starting from the very first experiments at the now obsolete linear accelerator and ending at the exhaustive experiments currently underway at the MAMI facilities.