Erfurt - City of Luther and Goethe

In September 2017, I attended a seminar in Erfurt for the first time and immediately fell in love with this historically significant city. Unfortunately, during the seminar, I didn't have the opportunity to explore it further. So, over the long weekend, we booked a vacation rental for 4 days to take a closer look at the city. What makes Erfurt so special? Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia. The city is characterized by its well-preserved medieval architecture. You can admire rich patrician houses and lovingly restored timber-framed houses. Due to a mix-up with Nordhausen, Erfurt escaped destruction during World War II, and many historic buildings still greet visitors today. Martin Luther studied in Erfurt from 1501 to 1509, and evidence of his time in Erfurt can still be found throughout the city. In 1765, Goethe first visited Erfurt as a 16-year-old. He later returned 52 times for longer stays, living and working in the 'Geleitshaus'. He regularly visited Erfurt for both business and personal reasons and liked it so much that he called it the 'Thuringian Rome'. And even Schiller came to Erfurt in 1787 for love. In 1789, he celebrated his engagement to Charlotte von Lengefeld in Erfurt, and he returned to Erfurt several times until 1803. And now it's our turn to walk on the historic cobblestones.

Our vacation rental was called 'Altstadtrefugium' and was located directly on the Gera River, a stone's throw away from the Krämerbrücke. From the balcony on the ground floor, we could almost touch the water. The apartment was very spacious, had a great kitchen, a large bathroom with a rain shower and a large bathtub, a living room with a huge TV, and a bedroom. It impressed us with its high-quality furnishings and some special features, such as the ability to listen to music through the sound system in all rooms and color-changing lights in the living room and bedroom. Of course, there was also Wi-Fi. I booked the vacation rental through Booking:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/de/altstadtrefugium-kramerbrucke.de.html?aid=304142;label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggJCAlhYSDNYBGg7iAEBmAEHuAEHyAEN2AEB6AEB-AELkgIBeagCAw;sid=57078b711c79aeb003e4cc782713d83a

The reception at the vacation rental was very friendly. The property manager was already waiting for us and showed us the apartment. Unfortunately, our car was too big for the underground parking, so we parked it at the Park and Ride parking lot at Europaplatz. From there, we could easily take the tram for 2.00 euros per person and reach the old town in 15 minutes.

Sightseeing Tip #1: The obvious choice is the Krämerbrücke. The Krämerbrücke is the most famous landmark in Erfurt. It is the longest continuously inhabited bridge in Europe with timber-frame buildings on both sides. The bridge spans the Gera River. Originally built as a wooden bridge, it was first mentioned in 1117 after being destroyed by one of the many fires. Even on the wooden bridge, traders had set up their stalls on both sides. In 1325, a stone bridge was completed due to the many fires. The bridge was then rebuilt several times until it acquired its current appearance. The bridge is 26m wide and 79m long. The road on the bridge is 5.5m wide. There are 32 residential houses on the bridge, 28 of which are owned by the city of Erfurt. To rent the apartments and shops, one must apply to a foundation. This foundation ensures a fair rental allocation, so that you can admire a variety of different shops with different crafts on the bridge.

Sightseeing Tip #2: The Erfurter Dom (Cathedral) of St. Mary and the equally worth seeing Severinkirche (Severin Church). The Erfurt Cathedral is the oldest church building in Erfurt. The first predecessor of the current Marienkirche was supposedly built by Boniface in 752. It is 81.26m high and has the largest freestanding medieval bell in the world, the Gloriosa. The cathedral served as a bishop's seat for a short time in the mid-8th century. Since 1994, it has again been the cathedral of the newly created Diocese of Erfurt and the seat of the cathedral chapter. To reach the entrance, you first have to climb the 70 steps from Domplatz to the cathedral. Inside the cathedral, you will find interesting pieces. We were particularly impressed by the stained glass windows in the chancel, created between 1370 and 1420, which are 8.6m high and up to 2.60m wide. The windows are currently being restored one by one in the cathedral's workshop. It takes about 2 years to restore one window. Another highlight is the Wolframleuchter (Wolfram Chandelier). The Wolframleuchter is a bronze sculpture of a candlestick holder, which is probably one of the oldest freestanding bronze sculptures in Germany. The 290-kilogram statue stands with outstretched arms and holds a candle in each hand. There was a long-standing dispute with the Jewish community over the chandelier. The Jewish community believed that the chandelier was of Jewish origin and demanded its return. It was only in April 2018 that a material test revealed that the Christian inscription was cast together with the figure in the second half of the 12th century, confirming that the chandelier is of Christian origin.

Sightseeing Tip #3: The old Erfurt Synagogue with the Jewish Erfurt Bridal Fortune. The Erfurt Bridal Fortune was only discovered by chance by a construction worker and could have remained undiscovered. In 1998, during the construction of a house at Michaelisstraße 43/44 - in the immediate vicinity of the Old Synagogue - an old cellar, used as a storage space for bicycles, was to be preserved. By chance, the construction workers came across a silver bowl, wedged under the masonry. Thinking it was a piece of tin, they placed the find in their construction trailer. only reported it to their construction manager some time later. He had a more thorough excavation done at the site and brought the find in 4 buckets of water to the Archaeological Monument Conservation in Weimar. It was only in 2001 that they had the capacity to examine the find in more detail. What the archaeologists unearthed made headlines as the Erfurt Treasure. It is considered unique worldwide. For example, the wedding ring with the engraved Hebrew good luck wish 'Mazel Tov' is only the third of its kind from that period ever found. Parts of the treasure were exhibited in Paris, the Yeshiva University Museum dedicated a separate exhibition to the find in New York, it was shown in London and Tel Aviv. The treasure weighs almost 28 kilograms and includes about 3141 silver coins and 14 silver bars, as well as around 700 individual pieces of Gothic goldsmithing. Since 2009, the treasure can be viewed in the cellar of the old Erfurt Synagogue. The entrance fee of 8.00 euros includes an audio guide that provides background information on the history of the synagogue and the treasure. Very impressive indeed.

Sightseeing Tip #4: If you want to get an overview of Erfurt and the Krämerbrücke, you can do so from the 33m high church tower of the Ägidienkirche (Aegidien Church) at the eastern end of the Krämerbrücke. The tower can be climbed for a donation of 2.50 euros per person. The stairs are quite narrow, and the ascent of the 128 steps takes quite a while. But the beautiful view of Erfurt from the tower is worth it.

Sightseeing Tip #5: The Citadel on Petersberg. After all, it is the only largely preserved baroque city fortress in Central Europe. The citadel was built in 1665 by order of Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn. It remained a central military location during both world wars and in the post-war period. It was only partially opened to the public in 1963. From the citadel, you have a breathtaking view of Erfurt. This place also seems to be very popular with couples for photo shoots. During our stay, we observed 4 bridal couples having their pictures taken. The core fortress of the citadel covers an area of about 12 hectares and has an irregular, star-shaped floor plan. The walls are about 2 km long and have a height between 8 and 23 m. It takes about 5 minutes to climb from Domplatz to the citadel. Once you're up there, you can just wander around. Unfortunately, many buildings are now uninhabited and pretty rundown. It's a pity because this place should have been preserved.

Food Tip #1: The ice cream parlor 'Der Eiskrämer' on the Krämerbrücke. The salty caramel ice cream with salty caramel sauce is worth every sin. It is garnished with a delicious 'Brückentrüffel' (bridge truffle). The ice cream parlor belongs to the Goldhelm Chocolate Manufactory next door, where you can also buy the 'Brückentrüffel'. In the ice cream parlor, you will find a variety of different and craziest flavors, such as hemp ice cream, St. Petersburg ice cream, cassis balsamic, Mr. Nugat and Mrs. Sauermilch, rice pudding ice cream, etc. It is served in freshly baked waffles. Some people say that I only wanted to visit Erfurt again because of the delicious ice cream from 'Der Eiskrämer'. And it seems that I'm not the only fan of this ice cream parlor, judging from the very, very long line that always forms in front of the shop.

Food Tip #2: The small café at the Dom. We discovered the café while seeking shelter from a rain shower. Originally, we just wanted to spend some time in a dry place, but then we were pleasantly surprised by the delicious rhubarb cake freshly baked by the owner. It was a real GDR-style yeast cake with lots of butter crumble on top. Delicious. They also served a genuine Erfurt Riesling. We were wondering where there is a vineyard in Erfurt. The owner informed us that the wine is grown on the Petersberg. A delicious drop that could easily have been another glass more.

Food Tip #3: When I was searching for a café for breakfast before the trip, I kept coming across Café Füchsen. It's a good thing that this café is located right across from our vacation rental. Luckily, we managed to get a table. For breakfast, they serve omelettes made from organic eggs, delicious regional spreads, regional sausages and cheese specialties, as well as very good coffee. The price for breakfast ranges from 6.00 euros to 10.00 euros. The café itself is very rustic and has a nice outdoor area.

Food Tip #4: It's really mean when you're sitting on your balcony and the smell of delicious grilled meat wafts through the air the whole time. But we soon discovered the cause of this 'odor nuisance'. Just a few steps further, located on the Gera River, is the rustic restaurant 'Augustiner an der Krämerbrücke'. The restaurant has a beautiful beer garden and a balcony right above the river, offering Thuringian cuisine and Bavarian specialties. The Thüringer Rostbrätel (grilled pork steak) is particularly delicious. Rostbrätel has been with me since my childhood and is the best grilled meat ever, in my opinion. For an authentic Rostbraten, you need pork neck steaks. They are coated all around with spicy mustard, seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika, and then layered with onions in a bowl. The whole thing is poured over with good Köstritzer Schwarzbier (black beer). Now it has to marinate for 24 hours before it can be grilled on the charcoal grill until beautifully browned, including the onions. Delicious. The dishes at Augustiner an der Krämerbrücke were plentiful and delicious. The prices range from 8.00 euros to 10.00 euros, which is completely reasonable given the quality of the food.

Food Tip #5: In a documentary about Erfurt, the 'Fast Food' restaurant Faust Food was recommended. Intrigued by this documentary, we also tried the restaurant on the way back from the Citadel to the cathedral, in an old rustic barn, of course. What immediately catches your eye when you enter the barn is the open charcoal grill. All dishes from the menu, which is hanging on the wall, are prepared on this grill. They serve Thuringian specialties such as Rostbratwurst (grilled sausage) and Rostbrätel, but also burgers and spare ribs. In addition, there are salads and a variety of side dishes. You order at the counter, take the drinks with you, and the food, which you can watch being prepared, is served. There are 3 large tables and a long counter in the barn. It's very cozy and rustic. My Rostbrätel with potato pancakes, which were also prepared on the grill, was very tasty. Ronald's chicken with beans, served in a cast-iron pan, lacked a bit of kick but was also very delicious after adding some extra seasoning. The prices for the dishes here range from 6.00 euros to 12.00 euros, which is justified by the quality of the food.

Food Tip #6: The restaurant 'Glashütte' on Petersberg undoubtedly offers the most beautiful view of Erfurt while dining. The restaurant opens early and offers all kinds of delicacies, from breakfast to lunch, coffee, and dinner. Although it's not really cheap, the view alone makes it worth reaching a little deeper into your pocket. We had a delicious tasting plate for 11.00 euros with 4 different spreads and baguette, which was very generous and tasty.

Food Tip #7: When searching the Internet for a good restaurant, you inevitably come across the Gasthaus Feuerkugel (Fireball Inn) right next to the Old Synagogue. In the cozy garden, you can still see the entrance to the ballroom of the temporarily converted synagogue. The menu shines with Thuringian specialties at 14.00 euros. Here you can also enjoy the famous Thuringian dumplings with various side dishes. The service is very friendly, and the courtyard is really beautiful.

Shopping Tip #1: If you're looking for a gift for your loved ones at home, you should definitely visit the Goldhelm Chocolate Manufactory on the Krämerbrücke. Here you can buy the delicious 'Brückentrüffel', which is made from 72% chocolate. If you don't want to travel to Erfurt, you can also order the delicious Goldhelm chocolate online.

Shopping Tip #2: We stumbled upon the Distille Erfurt by chance on our way back from the Citadel to the cathedral. The distillery is located at the foot of the Martinsbastion in the old fortress laboratory and in the historic Kanonenhof. Once a week, four different schnapps are distilled here. A visit is really worthwhile because the distillery was just recently crowned the best distillery in all of Europe last fall. The excellent sloe liqueur is really exquisite, but the wild cherry-chili liqueur and the vineyard peach liqueur also taste very good. In the distillery, we also received a voucher for the Weinmanufaktur Erfurt, which is located in the old town. Highly recommended here is the 'Bürgerwein' (citizen wine) for 10.00 euros. 3.00 euros per bottle sold goes to projects in the city of Erfurt.

Conclusion: 4 days in Erfurt are definitely too short for this great city. We felt very comfortable and saw a lot. This was certainly not our last visit to Erfurt.