Erfurt - The capital of Thuringia -

Erfurt, the largest city in Thuringia, has a medieval heart that is one of the best preserved in Germany, a delightful blend of wealthy patrician townhouses and lovingly restored half-timbered buildings, overlooked by the towering spires of St. Mary's Cathedral and the Church of St. Severus. The Merchants' Bridge (Krämerbrücke) with 32 houses built along its 120-metre length is Europe's longest inhabited bridge. Just a stone's throw from the cathedral hill is PetersbergCitadel; the only extensively preserved baroque town fortress in the whole of central Europe, with an intricate maze of underground passageways for visitors to explore. But Erfurt is not only an architectural joy; it is also the focal point for a rich cultural tradition that has evolved over the centuries. Originally marking the crossroads of key trading routes, it is a university city with a fascinating history, a magnificent cathedral and important connections with Martin Luther. As the centre of Thuringia's economic, intellectual, cultural and political life, Erfurt has always attracted great individuals, especially those who influenced the spirit of their age: Martin Luther, Adam Ries (mathematician), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Christan Reichart, Friedrich Schiller, Wilhelm Humboldt, Johann Sebastian Bach, Tsar Alexander I. and Napoleon. Buildings such as the Augustinerkloster and the Imperial Hall have links with these figures and their restoration gives visitors a vivid impression of the past. Nowadays, Erfurt the gateway to Thuringia is one of Germany's most attractive exhibition and conference venues. Erfurt Exhibition Centre, on the city's outskirts close to ega, the largest gardens in Thuringia, hosts major cultural events and conferences for up to 6,000 visitors. Why not let Erfurt's 1,260 years of history work their own special magic on you .

Places of Interest- Sights/Attractions

		Merchants' Bridge Another Erfurt landmark is the Merchants' Bridge (Krämerbrücke), the longest series of inhabited buildings on any bridge in Europe. The Merchants' Bridge is Erfurt's most interesting secular construction, initially in wood but rebuilt in stone in 1325. There were originally 62 narrow buildings along its 120-metre length, but subsequent redevelopment left just 32 buildings. Of what once was a pair of bridgehead churches, only the Church of St. Aegidius remains at the eastern end of the bridge today.Today's small boutiques, galleries, art and woodcarving studios as well as many other workshops are evidence of the skilled nature of medieval handicrafts.

		Petersberg Citadel Petersberg Citadel, the only extensively preserved town baroque fortress in central Europe, was built on the site of a former Benedictine monastery. It dates from a time when Erfurt was ruled by the Electors of Mainz and is a unique example of the European style of fortress construction. Beneath the citadel is an underground maze of passageways that can be visited on guided tours organised by Erfurt Tourist Office.

		Cathedral of St. Mary Domberg The late Gothic cathedral with its high-Gothic choir and Romanesque tower replaced the church built on this site for Bishop Boniface in 742. The central tower houses the Gloriosa, the world's largest medieval free-swinging bell.

		Church of St. Severus The Church of St. Severus, a five-naved early Gothic hall church, was a collegiate church for the regular canons of St. Augustine during the 12th century. Today, along with the cathedral, it is Erfurt's most famous landmark.

		Erfurt Protestant Augustinian Monastery The church and monastery of the Augustinian hermits was built around 1300. Martin Luther, the famous Augustinian monk, was admitted to the monastery on 17 July 1505. The Augustinian Monastery pays tribute to Martin Luther with a new exhibition whose theme is Bible-Monastery-Luther. The Lutherzelle (Luther's cell) can be visited as part of the exhibition. Since 1988 the monastery has been used as an ecumenical conference centre and a memorial to Luther.

		Town Hall The neo-Gothic town hall on Fischmarkt was built between 1870 and 1874. Inside is a series of murals depicting legends, scenes from Luther's life and images from Erfurt's history.

		Predigerkirche (Preachers' Church) The church of the Dominican or Prediger (preacher) monks was built in several stages between 1270 and 1400. Along with the sections of the Prediger monastery that have been preserved, this is one of the foremost examples of mendicant order architecture in the German-language area. Master Eckhart was once prior of the order here. The church has some interesting interior furnishings: choir stalls (13th century) and stained glass windows made with fragments retrieved from the war-damaged church windows (20th century). Regular organ recitals on Wednesdays during the summer.

Famous individuals

Martin Luther
Erfurt was the young Luther's spiritual home. In 1505 he graduated with a Masters from the university's faculty of philosophy. It is said that a violent storm close to Erfurt that same year prompted him to become a monk at the Augustinian Monastery in gratitude for his survival. Martin Luther stayed in Erfurt until 1511 and was ordained as a priest in the cathedral. Even after he had left the city, he often returned to preach to enthusiastic crowds, in the university church (St. Michael's) for example. It is more than 500 years since Luther was a student at the collegium maius, the old Erfurt university's main building, which is now being restored. On 10 November every year, Erfurt celebrates Martin Luther's birthday and remembers St. Martin with the St. Martin's Festival on Domplatz.

Augustinian Monastery (Luther's Cell, library, permanent exhibition)
Cathedral
Luther monument (next to the Merchants' Church on Anger)
Haus Zum Schwarzen Horn, Michaelisstrasse 48 (Mathes Maler's printing workshop, where many of Luther's pamphlets were printed)
Luther stone (Stotternheim near Erfurt)

Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685, a fact which to this day enriches Thuringia's cultural life in myriad ways. The Thuringian Bach Festival, held annually in March and April, bears eloquent witness to this unparalleled musical legacy. Musical life in Erfurt is greatly indebted to the Bachs, various members of Johann Sebastian's family, who were engaged as organists and town musicians. On the Bach trail: Merchants' Bridge, Fischmarkt, Kürschnergasse or Junkersand.

Merchants' Church (where J. S. Bach's parents were married)
Haus Zum Schwarzen Ross, Haus Zum Güldenen Kelch, Haus Zur Güldenen Kanne (Merchants' Bridge and Junkersand 1-3, residences of numerous members of the Bach family; no internal viewings)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Erfurt is close to Weimar and it is not difficult to find traces of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great man of letters, here too. A number of buildings in Erfurt have Goethe inscriptions, for example. Goethe often travelled to Erfurt, both on business and privately, and he liked the city so much that he called it Thuringia's Rome.

Thuringian State Chancellery (former governor's residence where Goethe met Napoleon in October 1808; no internal viewing)
Haus Vaterland (Weimar dukes' escort house; Goethe's offices in Erfurt when he was minister for roads; today: European young peo- ple's forum; no internal viewing)
Dacheröden House (home of the Dacheröden family, whom Goethe visited frequently; today: cultural institutions and events centre)
Imperial Hall (formerly university ballroom; 1808 Royal Congress; prose version of Friedrich Schiller's Don Carlos premiered in the presence of the writer, today: congress and conference centre)

Adam Ries
Adam Ries, a well-known German mathematician, worked in Erfurt from 1518 to 1522/23. He lived in Drachengasse, just a few metres from the collegium maius, Erfurt university's main building. Academically, Adam Ries' Erfurt years were the most fruitful of his life.

Haus Zum Schwarzen Horn
Michaelisstrasse 48 (Mathes Maler's printing workshop, where Ries' first and second books on arithmetic were printed, 1518/1522)

Christian Reichart
was born on 4 July 1685 in Erfurt (at Haus Zum LohFinken, Mühlgasse, corner of Bahnhofstrasse). His work, which quickly lifted horticulture in Erfurt to new and greater heights, contributed to the city developing a reputation in Europe for its flowers and horticulture. Christian Reichart was an inspiration for gardeners in Erfurt and a monument was erected to him in 1867. Today it stands next to the Pförtchen bridge near Luisenpark, not far from where he used to work (see p.9). Reichart died in 1775 but his legacy, highly advanced in both scientific and practical terms, provided a firm foundation for subsequent generations of gardeners.

"ega" gardens
Museum of Horticulture
Luisenpark