Erfurt is small but it's the largest city and capital of Thuringia (Thüringen). It was an important trading town during the Middle Age, thus has many old and beautiful buildings and parks. A city rich of culture and center of happenings in Thuringia, complemented by near-by Weimar.
Get in
By car
Erfurt lies on two Bundesstraßen (federal motorways):
By train
The Erfurt Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is quite large. Numerous ICE and IC trains pass through daily, with direct lines to Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Dresden and Frankfurt.
By plane
Not the best option for budget travellers. Though Air Berlin flies to Erfurt airport from London and other destinations.
See
Much of Erfurt's charm is found in its narrow streets, many pedestrianized now, with old beautiful old houses, its green areas and little bridges across the Gera river and both the Stadtpark and the Nordpark on either side of the city center.
Do
Check out for any festivals happening on the city, especially on public holidays.
Buy
Shops on the Krämerbrücke offer crafts and souvenirs. Around main square, Anger 1 has upmarket shops inside.
Eat
Thuringer Bratwurst! Yes, it's where they came from. You can find many stalls grilling this huge world-famous delicacy.
Drink
Erfurt has numerous small bars in the city center. On the Domplatz there is a tapas bar, which is quite delicious. To the north of the Domplatz there are more bars, with one of the more popular bars being Double D's, which has numerous theme nights and drink specials.
Outside of the city-center is the disco Spot, which is quite intense and draws a younger crowd.
Get out
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|Gliederung = 53 districts
|Website = www.erfurt.de
|Bürgermeister = Andreas Bausewein
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|Partei = SPD
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Erfurt ˈɛɐ̯fʊɐ̯t is a city in central Germany. It is the capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,619 (2006).
Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 113 km SE of Kassel and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
Geography
Since the Reunification of Germany, Erfurt is the main city nearest to the geographical centre of the country. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, within the wide valley of Gera River, a tributary of the Unstrut. To the south, the city is surrounded by hills covered by woods ("Steigerwald").
History
Erfurt was first mentioned in 742 under the name of "Erphesfurt". It was an important trading town during the Middle Ages near a ford across the Gera river. Together with the other five Thuringian woad-towns of Gotha, Tennstedt, Arnstadt and Langensalza it was the centre of the German woad trade. In 1392 Erfurt University was founded, which was famous in its time but became defunct in 1816. In 1803 Erfurt became a part of Prussia. Although enclosed by Thuringian territory, the city remained Prussian until 1944. After the end of World War II, it fell in the Soviet Zone of occupation, which would later become the GDR. After German reunification Erfurt became the capital of the re-established state of Thuringia.
In contrast to most other major German cities, Erfurt suffered only limited damage from Allied air raids during World War II.
On April 26, 2002 the student Robert Steinhäuser killed 13 teachers, 2 students, a police officer and himself at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium school (see Erfurt massacre).
Main sights
Erfurt has maintained an intact medieval city centre.
Erfurt is symbolised by the two churches, the Mariendom and the Severikirche, which stand directly side by side and together form the emblem of the city. Both churches tower above the townscape and are accessible via huge open stairs.
Another remarkable site is the Krämerbrücke, a bridge crossing the narrow Gera River. The bridge is covered with inhabited buildings. It was built in 1325 with a church on either bridgehead, one of which still exists.
The Augustinerkloster is an ancient Augustinian monastery. Martin Luther had lived in the Augustinerkloster for a few years after 1505.
Culture
Martin Luther attended the University of Erfurt and received his bachelor's and master's degrees there. Luther lived there as a monk from 1505–1511.
Erfurt is the birthplace of one of Johann Sebastian Bach's cousins, Johann Bernhard Bach (1676–1749), Johann Sebastian Bach's father Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645–1695), Meister Eckhart and also sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920). Bach's parents were married in a small church that still exists on main square, Anger.
Johann Pachelbel served as organist at the Prediger church in Erfurt. Pachelbel composed approximately seventy pieces for organ while in Erfurt. Since 1906 the composer Richard Wetz (1875-1935) lived in Erfurt and became the leading person in the town's musical life. His major works were written here, too, so three symphonies, a Requiem and a Christmas Oratorio.
In 1349, during the wave of pogroms which followed the Black Plague across Europe, the Jews of Erfurt were rounded up, more than 100 killed and the rest driven from the city, and the ghetto burned. Recently, the remains of the medieval synagogue have been discovered beneath newer buildings, and are being restored.
Erfurt is an important population centre in the fictional United States of Europe in the popular thought provoking alternate history book series based on the novel 1632. It is the major city of substantial size located nearest (to the displaced in time and space) town of Grantville, WV whose citizens are the joint protagonists unifying Germany and introducing the industrial revolution 'a few centuries early' during the complications posed by the Thirty years war.
Transport
Erfurt lies on two Bundesstraßen (federal motorways):
Also there are two Autobahnen crossing each other at Erfurter Kreuz nearby: The Bundesautobahn 4 from Frankfurt am Main to Dresden and the Bundesautobahn 71 from Würzburg to Halle (Saale).
There have been trams in the city since 1883. Today there are seven tram lines to most of the parts of Erfurt.
Railways run from Erfurt to Berlin (through Weimar, Halle/Leipzig and Wittenberg), Frankfurt am Main (through Gotha, Eisenach, Bebra, Fulda and Hanau), Würzburg (through Arnstadt, Suhl, Bad Neustadt and Schweinfurt), Ilmenau, Saalfeld, Nordhausen (through Sondershausen), Magdeburg (through Sömmerda, Sangerhausen, Staßfurt and Schönebeck), Bad Langensalza and Kassel/Göttingen (through Mühlhausen, Leinefelde-Worbis and Heiligenstadt).
External links
