Erfurt(German pronunciation:[ˈɛʁfʊʁt]ⓘ)[3] is thecapital and largest city of theCentral German state ofThuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of theRiver Gera, in the southern part of theThuringian Basin, north of theThuringian Forest, and in the middle of a line of the six largest Thuringian cities (Thüringer Städtekette), stretching fromEisenach in the west, viaGotha, Erfurt,Weimar andJena, toGera in the east. Together withKassel andGöttingen, it is one of the cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants lying closest to the geographic centre of Germany. Erfurt is 100 km (62 mi) south-west ofLeipzig, 250 km (155 mi) north-east ofFrankfurt, 300 km (186 mi) south-west ofBerlin and 400 km (249 mi) north ofMunich.
The city's economy is based on agriculture, horticulture and microelectronics. Its central location has made it alogistics hub for Germany and central Europe. Erfurt hosts the second-largest trade fair in eastern Germany (after Leipzig), as well as the public television children's channelKiKa. The city is on theVia Regia, a medieval trade and pilgrims' road network.Erfurt Main Station is the junction of theNuremberg–Erfurt and theErfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed lines with theHalle–Bebra railway.
TheUniversity of Erfurt was founded in 1379,[9] making it the first university to be established within the geographic area which constitutes modern Germany. It closed in 1816 and was re-established in 1994.Martin Luther (1483–1546) was its most famous student, studying there from 1501 before enteringSt Augustine's Monastery in 1505.[10] Other noted Erfurters include the medieval philosopher and mysticMeister Eckhart (c. 1260–1328), the Baroque composerJohann Pachelbel (1653–1706) and the sociologistMax Weber (1864–1920).
To the west of Erfurt in Frienstedt existed, in the AD era, a bigGermanic village, which was found during the construction of a highway. Where they also discovered the oldest Germanic word ever discovered in Central Germany written inrunic script was found on a comb from a sacrificial shaft the word: "kaba". FromRoman Times, however, they found 200 coins dating back to the third century, plus 150 Roman ceramic fragments and more than 200fibulae. Also 11 inhumation graves of the Haßleben-Leuna group, which is an archeological cultural group.[11]
TheMelchendorf dig in the southern city part showed a settlement from theNeolithic period.[note 1] TheThuringii inhabited the Erfurt area inc. 480 and gave their name to Thuringia inc. 500.[16]
The town is first mentioned in 742 under the name of "Erphesfurt": in that year,Saint Boniface wrote toPope Zachary to inform him that he had established threedioceses in central Germany, one of them "in a place called Erphesfurt, which for a long time has been inhabited by pagan natives." All three dioceses (the other two wereWürzburg andBüraburg) were confirmed by Zachary the next year, though in 755 Erfurt was brought into thediocese of Mainz.[17] That the place was populous already is borne out by archeological evidence, which includes 23 graves and six horse burials from the sixth and seventh centuries.[18]
Throughout theMiddle Ages, Erfurt was an important trading town because of its location, near aford across the Gera river. Together with the other five Thuringianwoad towns ofGotha,Tennstedt,Arnstadt andLangensalza it was the centre of the German woad trade, which made those cities very wealthy. Erfurt was the junction of important trade routes: theVia Regia was one of the most used east–west roads between France and Russia (viaFrankfurt, Erfurt,Leipzig andWrocław) and another route in the north–south direction was the connection between theBaltic Sea ports (e. g.Lübeck) and the potent upper Italian city-states likeVenice andMilan.
During the tenth and eleventh centuries both theEmperor and theElectorate of Mainz held some privileges in Erfurt. The German kings had an important monastery on Petersberg hill and the Archbishops of Mainz collected taxes from the people. Around 1100, some people became free citizens by paying the annual "Freizins" (liberation tax), which marks a first step in becoming an independent city. During the 12th century, as a sign of more and more independence, the citizens built a city wall around Erfurt (in the area of today'sJuri-Gagarin-Ring). After 1200, independence was fulfilled and a city council was founded in 1217; the town hall was built in 1275. In the following decades, the council bought a city-owned territory around Erfurt which consisted at its height of nearly 100 villages and castles and even another small town (Sömmerda). Erfurt became an important regional power between theLandgraviate of Thuringia around, the Electorate of Mainz to the west and theElectorate of Saxony to the east. Between 1306 and 1481, Erfurt was allied with the two other major Thuringian cities (Mühlhausen andNordhausen) in the Thuringian City Alliance and the three cities joined theHanseatic League together in 1430. A peak in economic development was reached in the 15th century, when the city had a population of 20,000 making it one of the largest in Germany. Between 1432 and 1446, a second and higher city wall was established. In 1483, a first city fortress was built on Cyriaksburg hill in the southwestern part of the town.
In the year 1184, Erfurt was the location of a notable accident called theErfurter Latrinensturz ('Erfurt latrine fall'). KingHenry VI held council in a building of theErfurt Cathedral to negotiate peace between two of his vassals, Archbishop Konrad I of Mainz and Landgrave Ludwig III ofThuringia. The amassed weight of all the gathered men proved too heavy for the floor to bear, which collapsed. According to contemporary accounts, dozens of people fell to their death into thelatrine pit below. Ludwig III, Konrad I and Henry VI survived the affair.[19][20]
The Jewish community of Erfurt was founded in the 11th century. Together with the Jewish communities inMainz,Worms andSpeyer, it became one of the most influential in Germany. TheOld Synagogue is still extant and is a museum today, as is themikveh at Gera river nearKrämerbrücke.[21] In 1349, during the wave ofBlack Death Jewish persecutions across Europe, the Jews of Erfurt were rounded up, withmore than 100 killed and the rest driven from the city. Before the persecution, a wealthy Jewish merchant buried his property in the basement of his house. In 1998, this treasure was found during construction works. TheErfurt Treasure with various gold and silver objects is shown in the exhibition in the synagogue today.[22] Only a few years after 1349, the Jews moved back to Erfurt and founded a second community, which was disbanded by the city council in 1454.[23] Because of their exceptional testimony to the life of a medieval Jewish community, the Jewish sites in Erfurt were inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 2023.[24]
In 1379,[25] theUniversity of Erfurt was founded. Together with theUniversity of Cologne it was one of the first city-owned universities in Germany, while they were usually owned by theLandesherren. Some buildings of this old university are extant or restored in the "Latin Quarter" in the northern city centre (likeCollegium Maius, student dorms "Georgenburse" and others, the hospital and the church of the university). The university quickly became a hotspot of German cultural life inRenaissance humanism with scholars likeUlrich von Hutten,Helius Eobanus Hessus andJustus Jonas.[citation needed]
Erfurt in 1650.Kurmainzische Statthalterei, seat of the governors of Erfurt (at front).Christina, Queen of Sweden, depicted on a 1645 Erfurt 10 ducat coin.[note 2]
In 1501Martin Luther (1483–1546) moved to Erfurt and began his studies at the university. After 1505, he lived atSt. Augustine's Monastery as a friar. In 1507 he was ordained as a priest in Erfurt Cathedral. He moved permanently toWittenberg in 1511. Erfurt was an early adopter of theProtestant Reformation, in 1521.[29]
In 1530, the city became one of the first in Europe to be officially bi-confessional with theHammelburg Treaty. It kept that status through all the following centuries. The later 16th and the 17th century brought a slow economic decline of Erfurt. Trade shrank, the population was falling and the university lost its influence. The city's independence was endangered. In 1664, the city and surrounding area were brought under the dominion of theElectorate of Mainz and the city lost its independence.[30] The Electorate built a huge fortress on Petersberg hill between 1665 and 1726 to control the city and instituted a governor to rule Erfurt.[citation needed]
In 1682 and 1683 Erfurt experienced the worstplague years in its history. In 1683 more than half of the population died because of the deadly disease.[31][32][33]
In Erfurt,witch-hunts are known to have taken place from 1526 to 1705. Trial records are incomplete. Twenty people were involved in witch trials, and at least eight people died.[citation needed]
Die Napoleonshöhe im Steiger bei Erfurt, painted byNikolaus Dornheim [de] in 1812. Inaugurated in March 1811 to celebrateNapoleon's birthday, thisGreek-styletemple with grotto, flowerbeds and fountain in theStiegerwald was burned in November 1813 and completely destroyed by Erfurters and theirbesiegers in 1814.
During their administration, the French introducedstreet lighting and a tax on foreign horses to pay for maintaining theroad surface.[38] ThePeterskirche suffered under the French occupation, with its inventory being auctioned off to other local churches – including theorgan,bells and even thetower of theCorpus Christi chapel (Fronleichnamskapelle) – and the former monastery's library being donated to theUniversity of Erfurt (and then to the Boineburg Library when the university closed in 1816).[38] Similarly the Cyriaksburg Citadel was damaged by the French, with the city-side walls being partially dismantled in the hunt for imagined treasures from the convent, workers being paid from the sale of the building materials.[41]
In 1811, to commemorate the birth of thePrince Imperial, a 70-foot (21-metre) ceremonialcolumn (Die Napoleonsäule) of wood and plaster was erected on thecommon.[38][42] Similarly, theNapoleonshöhe – aGreek-styletemple topped by awinged victory with shield, sword and lance and containing abust of Napoleon sculpted byFriedrich Döll[38][42][43] – was erected in theStiegerwald woods, including a grotto with fountain and flower beds, using a large pond (lavoratorium) from thePeterskirche,[42] inaugurated with ceremony on 14 August 1811 after extravagant celebrations for Napoleon's birthday,[38] which were repeated in 1812 with a concert in thePredigerkirche conducted byLouis Spohr.[38]
With theSixth Coalition forming after French defeat in Russia, on 24 February 1813 Napoleon ordered the Petersburg Citadel to prepare forsiege, visiting the city on 25 April to inspect the fortifications, in particular both Citadels.[38] On 10 July 1813, Napoleon putAlexandre d'Alton [fr],baron of the Empire, in charge of the defences of Erfurt. However, when the French decreed that 1000 men would be conscripted into theGrande Armée, the recruits were joined by other citizens in rioting on 19 July that led to 20 arrests, of whom 2 weresentenced to death by Frenchcourt-martial;[38] as a result, the French ordered the closure of all inns and alehouses.[44]
Within a week of the Sixth Coalition's decisivevictory at Leipzig (16–19 October 1813), however, Erfurt was besieged by Prussian, Austrian and Russian troops under the command of Prussian Lt Genvon Kleist.[38][45] After a first capitulation signed by d'Alton on 20 December 1813 the French troops withdrew to the two fortresses of Petersberg and Cyriaksburg,[45] allowing for the Coalition forces to march into Erfurt on 6 January 1814 to jubilant greetings;[46][47] theNapoleonsäule ceremonial column was burned and destroyed as a symbol of the citizens' oppression under the French;[38][42][46][48] similarly theNapoleonshöhe was burned on 1 November 1813 and completely destroyed by Erfurters and their besiegers in 1814.[38][42] After a call for volunteers 3 days later, 300 Erfurters joined the Coalition armies in France.[46] Finally, in May 1814, the French capitulated fully, with 1,700 French troops vacating the Petersberg and Cyriaksburg fortresses.[46] During the two and a half months of siege, the mortality rate rose in the city greatly; 1,564 Erfurt citizens died in 1813, around a thousand more than the previous year.[47]
After theCongress of Vienna, Erfurt was restored toPrussia on 21 June 1815, becoming the capital of one of the three districts (Regierungsbezirke) of the newProvince of Saxony, but some southern and eastern parts of Erfurter lands joined Blankenhain in being transferred to theGrand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach the following September.[46] Although enclosed byThuringian territory in the west, south and east, the city remained part of the PrussianProvince of Saxony until 1944.[49]
Streetscape in the southern city extension (Gründerzeit style).Housing projects inBauhaus style from 1930.Hotel "Erfurter Hof", place of the first meeting ofEast andWest German heads of government in 1970.
After the1848 Revolution, many Germans desired to have a united national state. An attempt in this direction was the failedErfurt Union of German states in 1850.[50]
TheIndustrial Revolution reached Erfurt in the 1840s, when theThuringian Railway connectingBerlin andFrankfurt was built. During the following years, many factories in different sectors were founded. One of the biggest was the "Royal Gun Factory ofPrussia" in 1862. After theUnification of Germany in 1871, Erfurt moved from the southern border of Prussia to the centre of Germany, so the fortifications of the city were no longer needed. The demolition of the city fortifications in 1873 led to a construction boom in Erfurt, because it was now possible to build in the area formerly occupied by the city walls and beyond. Many public and private buildings emerged and the infrastructure (such as a tramway, hospitals, and schools) improved rapidly. The number of inhabitants grew from 40,000 around 1870 to 130,000 in 1914, and the city expanded in all directions.[citation needed]
Between the wars, the city kept growing. Housing shortages were fought with building programmes and social infrastructure was broadened according to the welfare policy in theWeimar Republic. TheGreat Depression between 1929 and 1932 led to a disaster for Erfurt, nearly one out of three became unemployed. Conflicts between far-left and far-right-oriented milieus increased and many inhabitants supported the new Nazi government andAdolf Hitler. Others, especially some communist workers, put up resistance against the new administration. In 1938, the new synagogue was destroyed during theKristallnacht. Jews lost their property and emigrated or were deported toNazi concentration camps (together with many communists). In 1914, the companyTopf and Sons began the manufacture of crematoria later becoming the market leader in this industry. Under the Nazis,JA Topf & Sons supplied specially developed crematoria, ovens and associated plants to theAuschwitz-Birkenau,Buchenwald andMauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. On 27 January 2011 a memorial and museum dedicated to the Holocaust victims was opened at the former company premises in Erfurt.[52]
DuringWorld War II, Erfurt experienced more than 27 British and American air raids, about 1600 civilians died. Bombed as a target of theOil Campaign of World War II, Erfurt suffered only limited damage and was captured on 12 April 1945, by the US80th Infantry Division.[53] On 3 July, American troops left the city, which then became part of theSoviet Zone of Occupation and eventually of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). In 1948, Erfurt became the capital ofThuringia, replacingWeimar. In 1952, theLänder in the GDR were dissolved in favour of centralization under the new socialist government. Erfurt then became the capital of a new "Bezirk" (district). In 1953, theHochschule of education was founded, followed by theHochschule of medicine in 1954, the first academic institutions in Erfurt since the closing of the university in 1816.[citation needed]
On 19 March 1970, the East and West German heads of governmentWilli Stoph andWilly Brandt met in Erfurt, the first such meeting since the division of Germany. During the 1970s and 1980s, as the economic situation in GDR worsened, many old buildings in city centre decayed, while the government fought against the housing shortage by building largePlattenbau settlements in the periphery. ThePeaceful Revolution of 1989/1990 led toGerman reunification.[citation needed]
Socialist-era street signs removed from around the city of Erfurt after 1990.
With the re-formation of the state ofThuringia in 1990, the city became the state capital. After reunification, a deep economic crisis occurred in Eastern Germany. Many factories closed and many people lost their jobs and moved to the former West Germany. At the same time, many buildings were redeveloped and the infrastructure improved massively. In 1994, the new university was opened, as was the Fachhochschule in 1991. Between 2005 and 2008, the economic situation improved as the unemployment rate decreased and new enterprises developed. In addition, the population began to increase once again.[citation needed]
Since the 1990s, organized crime has gained a foothold in Erfurt, with several mafia groups, including theArmenian mafia present in the city. Among other events, there has been a robbery and an arson attack targeting the gastronomy sector and in 2014 there was a shoot-out in an open street.[55][56][57]
Erfurt is situated in the south of theThuringian basin, a fertile agricultural area between theHarz mountains 80 km (50 mi) to the north and theThuringian Forest 30 km (19 mi) to the southwest. Whereas the northern parts of the city area are flat, the southern ones consist of hilly landscape up to 430 m of elevation. In this part lies the municipal forest ofSteigerwald withbeeches andoaks as main tree species. To the east and to the west are some non-forested hills so that theGera river valley within the town forms a basin. North of the city are somegravel pits in operation, while others are abandoned, flooded and used as leisure areas.[58]
Erfurt has anoceanic climate (Cfb) bordering on ahumid continental climate (Dfb) according to theKöppen climate classification system.[59][60] Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 23 °C (73 °F) and lows of 12 °C (54 °F). Winters are relatively cold with average high temperatures of 2 °C (36 °F) and lows of −3 °C (27 °F). The city's topography creates a microclimate caused by the location inside a basin with sometimesinversion in winter (quite cold nights under −20 °C (−4 °F)) and inadequate air circulation in summer. Annual precipitation is only 535 mm (21.1 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long.[61]
The city itself is divided into 53 districts. The centre is formed by the districtAltstadt (old town) and theGründerzeit districtsAndreasvorstadt in the northwest,Johannesvorstadt in the northeast,Krämpfervorstadt in the east,Daberstedt in the southeast,Löbervorstadt in the southwest andBrühlervorstadt in the west. More former industrial districts areIlversgehofen (incorporated in 1911),Hohenwinden andSulzer Siedlung in the north. Another group of districts is marked byPlattenbau settlements, constructed during theEast Germany period:Berliner Platz,Moskauer Platz,Rieth,Roter Berg andJohannesplatz in the northern as well asMelchendorf,Wiesenhügel andHerrenberg in the southern city parts.[citation needed]
Eventually, there are many villages with an average population of approximately 1,000 which were incorporated during the 20th century; they have mostly retained a rural character to date, however:[citation needed]
Erfurt-Southeast (German:Erfurt-Südost) is the collective name for a series of prefabricated housing areas that emerged in the southeast of Erfurt in the last ten years of East Germany.[citation needed] After Erfurt-Nord, Erfurt-Südost is the second-largest prefabricated building area in the city. The problems associated with large housing estates are not as pronounced in the southeast as in the north, but they are still present.
The districts of Melchendorf, Herrenberg and Wiesenhügel belong to Erfurt-Südost, all of which were formed from the former local area of Melchendorf. The village of Melchendorf with around 1,000 inhabitants lies between the prefabricated building areas. In addition to the old village, the district of Melchendorf also includes the prefab housing areas of Drosselberg and Buchenberg as well as several four-story apartment blocks from the 1950s and 1960s onKranichfelder Straße. Around 24,000 people still live in the large settlement, which was once designed for almost 40,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]
Around the year 1500, the city had 18,000 inhabitants and was one of the largest cities in theHoly Roman Empire. The population then more or less stagnated until the 19th century. The population of Erfurt was 21,000 in 1820, and increased to 32,000 in 1847, the year of rail connection as industrialization began. In the following decades Erfurt grew up to 130,000 at the beginning ofWorld War I and 190,000 inhabitants in 1950. A maximum was reached in 1988 with 220,000 persons. In 1991, after theGerman reunification and when Erfurt became the capital ofThuringia state, it had a population of about 205,000. The bad economic situation in eastern Germany after the reunification resulted in a decline in population, which fell to 200,000 in 2002 before rising again to 206,000 in 2011. The average growth of population between 2009 and 2012 was approximately 0.68 % p. a., whereas the population in bordering rural regions is shrinking with accelerating tendency. Suburbanization played only a small role in Erfurt. It occurred after reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas were situated within the administrative city borders. Erfurt is also the 10th-largest city in Germany by area with area of 269.17 km2 (103.93 sq mi).[citation needed]
The birth deficit was 200 in 2012, this is −1.0 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: −4.5; national average: −2.4). The net migration rate was +8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: −0.8; national average: +4.6).[64] The most important regions of origin of Erfurt migrants are rural areas of Thuringia,Saxony-Anhalt andSaxony as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Syria, Afghanistan and Hungary. Erfurt is today one of the popular cities in formerEast Germany due to its universities and broadcasting companies.[citation needed][65]
Due to the official atheism of the formercommunist East German regime, most of the population is non-religious. 14.8 % are members of theEvangelical Church in Central Germany and 6.8 % areCatholics (according to the 2011 EU census). The Jewish community consists of 500 members. Most of them migrated to Erfurt from Russia and Ukraine in the 1990s.[citation needed]
The theologian, philosopher and mysticMeister Eckhart (c. 1260–1328) entered theDominican monastery (Predigerkloster) in Erfurt when he was aged about 18 (around 1275). Eckhart was the Dominicanprior at Erfurt from 1294 until 1298, and Vicar of Thuringia from 1298 to 1302. After a year in Paris, he returned to Erfurt in 1303 and administered his duties as Provincial of Saxony from there until 1311.[66]
Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) served as organist at thePredigerkirche (Preachers Church) in Erfurt from June 1678 until August 1690. Pachelbel composed approximately seventy pieces for organ while in Erfurt.[citation needed]
Max Weber (1864–1920) was born in Erfurt.[71] He was a sociologist, philosopher, lawyer, and political economist whose ideas have profoundly influenced modern social theory and social research.[72]
After 1906 the composerRichard Wetz (1875–1935) lived in Erfurt and became the leading person in the city's musical life. His major works were written here, including three symphonies, a Requiem and aChristmas Oratorio.
The textile designerMargaretha Reichardt (1907–1984) was born and died in Erfurt. She studied at theBauhaus from 1926 to 1930,[73] and while there worked withMarcel Breuer on his innovative chair designs. Her former home and weaving workshop in Erfurt, theMargaretha Reichardt Haus, is now a museum, managed by theAngermuseum Erfurt.[citation needed]
TheStadtmuseum (municipal museum) shows aspects of Erfurt's history with a focus on the Middle Ages, early modern history, Martin Luther and the university. Other parts of theStadtmuseum are theNeue Mühle (new mill), an old water mill still in operation, and theBenaryspeicher (Benary's magazine) with an exhibition of old printing machines.[75]
TheAlte Synagoge (Old Synagogue) is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in Europe.[76] It is now a museum of local Jewish history. It houses facsimiles of medieval Hebrew manuscripts and theErfurt Treasure, a hoard of coins and goldsmiths' work that is assumed to have belonged to Jews who hid them in 1349 at the time of theBlack Death pogroms.[77]
TheErinnerungsort Topf & Söhne (Topf and Sons memorial) is on the site of the factory of the company which constructed crematoria forAuschwitz and other concentration camps. Its exhibitions explore the collaboration of a civilian company with the National Socialist regime inthe Holocaust.[78]
Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse, (Stasi Museum). On the site of the former ErfurtStasi prison, where over 5000 people were held. On 4 December 1989, the building was occupied by local residents. It was the first of many such takeovers of Stasi buildings in the former East Germany.[79] Today it has exhibitions on the history of East Germany and the activities of its regime.[citation needed]
TheAngermuseum is one of the main art museums of Erfurt, named after Anger Square, where it is located. It focuses on modern graphic arts, medieval sculpture and early modern artisanal handicraft.[80]
TheKunsthalle Erfurt (Erfurt City Art Gallery) has exhibitions of contemporary art, of local, national and international artists.[81]
TheMargaretha Reichardt Haus is the home and workshop of the textile designer and formerBauhaus student, Margaretha Reichardt (1907–1984).[82]
ThePeterskirche (Saint Peter's church) houses an exhibition ofconcrete art, i.e. totally abstract art (not art made out of concrete).[83]
TheDeutsches Gartenbaumuseum (German Horticulture Museum) is housed at theCyriaksburg Citadel.[84]
TheNaturkundemuseum (Natural History Museum) is situated in a medieval woad warehouse and explores Thuringian flora and fauna, geology and ecology.[85]
TheMuseum für Thüringer Volkskunde (Museum of Folk Art and Cultural Anthropology) looks at the ordinary life of people in Thuringia in the past and shows exhibits of peasant and artisan traditions.[86]
TheElektromuseum (Museum of Electrical Engineering) shows the history of electric engines, which have featured prominently in Erfurt's economy.[citation needed]
Since 2003, the modern opera house is home toTheater Erfurt and its Philharmonic Orchestra. The "grand stage" section has 800 seats and the "studio stage" can hold 200 spectators. In September 2005, the operaWaiting for the Barbarians byPhilip Glass premiered in the opera house. The Erfurt Theatre has been a source of controversy. In 2005, a performance ofEngelbert Humperdinck's operaHänsel und Gretel stirred up the local press since the performance contained suggestions of pedophilia and incest. The opera was advertised in the programme with the addition "for adults only".[citation needed]
On 12 April 2008, a version ofVerdi's operaUn ballo in maschera directed by Johann Kresnik opened at the Erfurt Theatre. The production stirred deep controversy by featuring nude performers inMickey Mouse masks dancing on the ruins of theWorld Trade Center and a female singer with a painted onHitler toothbrush moustache performing a straight armNazi salute, along with sinister portrayals of American soldiers,Uncle Sam, andElvis Presley impersonators. The director described the production as a populist critique of modern American society, aimed at showing up the disparities between rich and poor. The controversy prompted one local politician to call for locals to boycott the performances, but this was largely ignored and the première was sold out.[87]
Notable types of sport in Erfurt are athletics, ice skating, cycling (with the oldest velodrome in use in the world, opened in 1885), swimming, handball, volleyball, tennis and football. The city's football clubFC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a member of theRegionalliga Nordost and is based in theSteigerwaldstadion. TheGunda-Niemann-Stirnemann Halle was the secondindoor speed skating arena in Germany.[citation needed]
Architecture from theGründerzeit in Brühlervorstadt district.
Erfurt's cityscape features a medieval core of narrow, curved alleys in the centre surrounded by a belt ofGründerzeit architecture, created between 1873 and 1914. In 1873, the city's fortifications were demolished and it became possible to build houses in the area in front of the former city walls. In the following years, Erfurt saw a construction boom. In the northern area (districts Andreasvorstadt, Johannesvorstadt and Ilversgehofen)tenements for the factory workers were built whilst the eastern area (Krämpfervorstadt and Daberstedt) featured apartments for white-collar workers and clerks and the southwestern part (Löbervorstadt and Brühlervorstadt) with its beautiful valley landscape saw the construction of villas and mansions of rich factory owners and notables.[citation needed]
During the interwar period, some settlements inBauhaus style were realized, often as housing cooperatives.[88]
After World War II and over the whole GDR period, housing shortages remained a problem even though the government started a big apartment construction programme. Between 1970 and 1990 largePlattenbau settlements with high-rise blocks on the northern (for 50,000 inhabitants) and southeastern (for 40,000 inhabitants) periphery were constructed. After reunification the renovation of old houses in city centre and theGründerzeit areas was a big issue. The federal government granted substantial subsidies, so that many houses could be restored.[citation needed]
Compared to many other German cities, little of Erfurt was destroyed in World War II. This is one reason why the centre today offers a mixture of medieval, Baroque andNeoclassical architecture as well as buildings from the last 150 years.[89]
Public green spaces are located along Gera river and in several parks like theStadtpark, theNordpark and theSüdpark. The largest green area is theEgapark [de], a horticultural exhibition park and botanic garden established in 1961.[90]
St Mary's Cathedral (left) and St Severus' Church (right) on Domberg hill.
The city centre has about 25 churches and monasteries, most of them inGothic style, some also inRomanesque style or a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic elements, and a few in later styles. The various steeples characterize the medieval centre and led to one of Erfurt's nicknames as the "Thuringian Rome".[91]
TheAllerheiligenkirche (All Saints' Church) is a 14th-century Gothic church inMarktstraße (Market Street), which hosts acolumbarium.[92]
TheDom St. Marien (St Mary's Cathedral) perches aboveDomplatz, the Cathedral Square. It is theepiscopal see and one of the main sights of Erfurt. It combines Romanesque and Gothic elements and has the largest free-swinging medieval bell in the world,[93] which is namedGloriosa. One of the works of art inside the cathedral isLucas Cranach the Elder's 'The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine' painted around 1520.[94]
TheLorenzkirche (St Lawrence's Church) is a small 14th-century Gothic parish church atAnger Square.
TheMartinikirche (St Martin's Church) was built in the 15th century in Gothic style and in 1755–58 converted to Baroque style. It was both aCistercian nunnery and a parish church ofBrühl, a medieval suburban zone.[95]
TheNeuwerkskirche St. Crucis ("church of the new facility", Holy Cross Church) is a 15th-century Gothic church atNeuwerkstraße, that was later converted to Baroque style. Until the 13th century, it was used by aconvent ofAugustinian nuns.[96]
TheSchottenkirche St. Nikolai und St. Jakobi (Scots Monks' Church of St Nicholas and St James) is an 11th-century Romanesque monastery church with a Baroque façade, which was later used as a parish church.[97]
TheSeverikirche (St Severus' Church) is the second-largest parish church after the cathedral and stands next to it on theDomberg hill. It is in Gothic style and was built around 1300.[49]
TheUrsulinenkirche, St Ursula's Church, is a Gothic church atAnger Square. It is attached to theUrsulinenkloster, St Ursula's Nunnery, founded in 1136.[98]
TheWigbertikirche (St Wigbert's Church) is a 15th-century Gothic church nearAnger Square.[99]
Ägidienkirche (St Giles' Church) is a 14th-century Gothic parish church atWenigemarkt Square. It is the surviving one of formerly two bridge-head churches of theKrämerbrücke located on both ends of the bridge. As a result, the nave is on the first floor, while on ground level is a passage to the bridge. The steeple is open to the public and offers a good view over the city centre. Today, St Giles' Church is aMethodist parish church.[citation needed]
Andreaskirche (St Andrew's Church) is a 14th-century Gothic parish church atAndreasstraße (Andrew's Street). The old craftsmen's quarter around it is namedAndreasviertel after the church.[citation needed]
Augustinerkloster (St Augustine's Monastery) dates from 1277.Martin Luther lived there as a monk between 1505 and 1511. The site has had a varied history and the restored complex has both modern and medieval buildings. Today it belongs to theProtestant Church in Germany and as well as being a place of worship it is also a meeting and conference centre, and provides simple guest accommodation. In 2016, an application was made for it to be included in the already existing UNESCOWorld Heritage Site "Luther sites in Central Germany".[100]
Michaeliskirche (St Michael's Church) is a 13th-century Gothic parish church atMichaelisstraße. It became the church of the university in 1392. Erfurt's firstProtestant sermon was preached here in 1521.[101] The church tower contains Erfurt's oldest bell "Katharina",[101] dating from 1380.
ThePredigerkirche (Dominican Church) is a Gothic monastery church of theDominicans atPredigerstraße. Since theReformation in the 16th century, it is the main Protestant church of Erfurt and furthermore one of the largest former churches of the mendicant orders in Germany. The theologian and mysticMeister Eckhart (c. 1260–1328) entered Prediger Monastery around 1275. He was Prior from 1294 until 1298, and Vicar of Thuringia from 1298 to 1302. After a year in Paris, he returned to the monastery in 1303 and administered his duties as Provincial of Saxony from there until 1311.[102] The baroque composerJohann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was organist at the church from 1678 until 1690.[citation needed]
TheReglerkirche St. Augustinus (Regulated St Augustine's Church) is a 12th-century Romanesque-Gothic monastery church of the Augustinians atBahnhofstraße (Station Street). After the Reformation, it became a Protestant parish church.[citation needed]
TheBarfüßerkirche is a 14th-century Gothicmendicant church atBarfüßerstraße. The formerFranciscan monastery became a Protestant parish church after the Reformation. In 1944, the church was severely damaged by allied bombing. Its high choir was restored, but the nave's ruins have been preserved as a war memorial.[citation needed]
TheBartholomäuskirche (St Bartholomew's Church) was a Gothic parish church atAnger Square. The church was demolished in 1715 and only the steeple remained. Today, the tower hosts acarillon with 60 bells.[103]
TheGeorgskirche (St George's Church) was a parish church inMichaelisstraße. It was demolished in 1632 and only the church tower now remains.[citation needed]
TheHospitalkirche (Hospital Church) was the church of the former Great City Hospital atJuri-Gagarin-Ring. It is a 14th-century Gothic building and is used today as a depot by the Museum für Thüringer Volkskunde (Museum of Thuringian Ethnology).[104]
TheJohanneskirche (St John's Church) was a parish church at John's Street. It was demolished in 1819, but the steeple remained.[citation needed]
TheKartäuserkirche St. Salvatorberg (Carthusian Church, Mount St Saviour) was a monastery church atKartäuserstraße. The Baroque church was closed in 1803 and afterwards used for many different purposes. Today, it is part of a housing complex.[105]
TheNikolaikirche (St Nicholas' Church) was a parish church in Augustine's Street. It was demolished in 1747 and only the steeple remained.[citation needed]
ThePaulskirche (St Paul's Church) was a parish church in Paul's Street. It was demolished before 1759. The steeple remains and is in use as the belfry of the Prediger Church.[citation needed]
ThePeterskirche (St Peter's Church) was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style as a church of theBenedictine monastery of St Peter and Paul on Petersberg hill, now the site ofPetersberg Citadel. It was secularised in 1803 and used as a military store house. Today it houses an art gallery.[citation needed]
The oldest parts of Erfurt'sAlte Synagoge (Old Synagogue) date to the 11th century. It was used until 1349 when the Jewish community was destroyed in a pogrom known as theErfurt Massacre. The building had many other uses since then. It was conserved in the 1990s and in 2009 it became a museum of Jewish history.[76] A rareMikveh, a ritual bath, dating from c.1250, was discovered by archeologists in 2007.[21] It has been accessible to visitors on guided tours since September 2011.[106] The Jewish heritage of Erfurt including the Old Synagogue and Mikveh became aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in September 2023 and is the second Jewish heritage in Germany that is listed on UNESCO.[107][108]
As religious freedom was granted in the 19th century, some Jews returned to Erfurt. They built their synagogue on the banks of the Gera river and used it from 1840 until 1884. The neoclassical building is known as theKleine Synagoge (Small Synagogue). Today it is used an events centre. It is also open to visitors.[109]
A larger synagogue, theGroße Synagoge (Great Synagogue), was opened in 1884 because the community had become larger and wealthier. This moorish style building was destroyed during nationwide Nazi riots, known asKristallnacht on 9–10 November 1938.[110]
In 1947 the land which the Great Synagogue had occupied was returned to the Jewish community and they built their current place of worship, theNeue Synagoge (New Synagogue) which opened in 1952. It was the only synagogue building erected under communist rule in East Germany.[111]
Besides the religious buildings there is a lot of historic secular architecture in Erfurt, mostly concentrated in the city centre, but some 19th- and 20th-century buildings are located on the outskirts.[citation needed]
TheMichaelisstraße is known as the lithic chronicle of Erfurt.
TheKrämerbrücke (Merchants' bridge) is the most famous tourist attraction of Erfurt. This 15th-century bridge is completely covered with dwellings and unique in Europe north of the Alps. Today, there are some art handicraft and souvenir shops in the houses.[112][113]
TheDomplatz (Cathedral Square) is the largest square in Erfurt and one of the largest historical market squares in Germany. The cathedral and St Severus' Church on its western side can be reached over theDomstufen, a wide flight of stairs. On the north side lies the courthouse, a historic building from 1880. The eastern and southern side is fronted by early-modern patrician houses. On the square are the Minerva Fountain from 1784 and the Erthal Obelisk from 1777. The Domplatz is the main setting of the Erfurt Christmas Market in December and the location for "DomStufen-Festival", an open-air theatre festival in summer.[citation needed]
TheFischmarkt (Fish Market) is the central square of Erfurt's city centre. It is surrounded by renaissance-style patrician houses and the town hall, a neo-gothic building from 1882. In the middle of the square is a statue calledRömer (Roman), a symbol of the city's independence, erected by the citizens in 1591.[citation needed]
TheWenigemarkt (Minor Market) is a small square on the east side of the Gera river (opposite to the Fischmarkt on the west side), surrounded by early-modern patrician and merchants' houses. The fountain on this square with the sculpture "Scuffling Boys" was created in 1975. Today,Wenigemarkt square also has various cafés and bars. Next to theWenigemarkt inFutterstraße is theKaisersaal building, a neoclassicistic event hall from 1831 (current building). TheCongress of Erfurt took place here in 1808.
TheAnger (originally the German term for "village green") is a protracted square[clarification needed] in the eastern city centre. All tram lines are linked here, so that it became the new city centre during the 20th century with many important buildings. On its northern side is the main post office, built in 1886 in neo-gothic style with its prominent clock tower. In the north-east there is the Martin Luther monument from 1889 in front of the Merchants' Church. Between the church and the Ursuline monastery lies the "Anger 1" department store from 1908. On the south side next to Station Street is theAngermuseum, the art history museum of Erfurt, inside a Baroque palace from 1711. The western part of Anger square is surrounded by large historicist business houses from the late 19th century. The west end of the square is marked by the Angerbrunnen fountain from 1890. The Jesuit College nearSchlösserstraße was built in 1737 and used until the ban of the Jesuits in 1773.[citation needed]
TheWilly Brandt Square is the southern gate to the city centre in front of the main station. Opposite to the station is the former hotelErfurter Hof, where the first meeting of the East- and West-German heads of government took place in 1970. On the western side is the building of the old Erfurt station (1847–95) with a clock tower and the former offices of the Thuringian Railway Company.[citation needed]
TheHirschgarten (Deer Garden) is a small park in front of the Thuringian government seat in the western city centre. The minister-president's seat is theKurmainzische Statthalterei, a Renaissance-Baroque palace from the 17th century.[citation needed]
TheMichaelisstraße (Michael's Street) is known as "the lithic chronicle of Erfurt", because of its mostly medieval buildings. It is the main street of the Latin quarter around the old university and today one of the favourite nightlife districts of the Erfurters with various bars, restaurants and cafés. The central building of the old university,Collegium Maius, was built in 1515, destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945 and originally rebuilt in 1999.[citation needed]
TheJuri-Gagarin-Ring is an inner-city circular road following the former inner city wall. The road was set out in the 1890s by closing a branch of the Gera river. The buildings along the street originate from all periods of the 20th century, including some GDR-era highrise residence buildings. An old building complex here is the former Great Hospital, established in the 14th century. Today, it hosts the museum of popular art and cultural anthropology.[citation needed]
TheAndreasviertel (St Andrew's Quarter) is a small quarter in the northern part of the city centre betweenDomplatz in the south-west andMoritzwallstraße in the north-east. It was the former craftsmen quarter with narrow alleys and old (16th/17th century) little houses. During the 20th century, there were plans to demolish the quarter because of its bad housing conditions. After 1990, the houses were redeveloped by private individuals so that it is one of the favourite neighbourhoods today. The largest building here is the former Municipal Corn Storage in Gothic style from 1466 with a floor area of 1,800 m2 (19,375 sq ft).[citation needed]
From 1066 until 1873 the old town of Erfurt was encircled by a fortified wall. About 1168 this was extended to run around the western side of Petersberg hill, enclosing it within the city boundaries.[114]
AfterGerman Unification in 1871, Erfurt became part of the newly createdGerman Empire. The threat to the city from its Saxon neighbours and from Bavaria was no longer present, so it was decided to dismantle the city walls. Only a few remnants remain today. A piece of inner wall can be found in a small park at the corner Juri-Gagarin-Ring and Johannesstraße and another piece at the flood ditch (Flutgraben) near Franckestraße. There is also a small restored part of the wall in the Brühler Garten, behind the Catholic orphanage. Only one of the wall's fortified towers was left standing, on Boyneburgufer, but this was destroyed in an air raid in 1944.[114]
ThePetersberg Citadel is one of the largest and best preserved city fortresses in Europe, covering an area of 36 hectares in the north-west of the city centre. It was built from 1665 on Petersberg hill and was in military use until 1963. Since 1990, it has been significantly restored and is now open to the public as an historic site.[115]
TheCyriaksburg Citadel [de] is a smaller citadel south-west of the city centre, dating from 1480. Today, it houses the German horticulture museum.[116]
19th- and 20th-century architecture in the outskirts
Between 1873 and 1914, a belt ofGründerzeit architecture emerged around the city centre. The mansion district in the south-west aroundCyriakstraße,Richard-Breslau-Straße andHochheimer Straße hosts some interestingGründerzeit andArt Nouveau buildings.[citation needed]
The "Mühlenviertel" ("mill quarter"), is an area of beautiful Art Nouveau apartment buildings, cobblestone streets and street trees just to the north of the old city, in the vicinity of Nord Park, bordered by the Gera river on its east side. TheSchmale Gera stream runs through the area. In the Middle Ages numerous small enterprises using the power of water mills occupied the area, hence the name "Mühlenviertel", with street names such as Waidmühlenweg (woad, or indigo, mill way), Storchmühlenweg (stork mill way) and Papiermühlenweg (paper mill way).[citation needed]
TheBauhaus style is represented by some housing cooperative projects in the east aroundFlensburger Straße andDortmunder Straße and in the north aroundNeuendorfstraße. Lutherkirke Church inMagdeburger Allee (1927), is anArt Deco building.[citation needed]
The former malt factory "Wolff" atTheo-Neubauer-Straße in the east of Erfurt is a large industrial complex built between 1880 and 1939, and in use until 2000. A new use has not been found yet, but the area is sometimes used as a location in movie productions because of its atmosphere.[citation needed]
Examples of Nazi architecture include the buildings of theLandtag (Thuringian parliament) andThüringenhalle (an event hall) in the south atArnstädter Straße. While theLandtag building (1930s) represents more the neo-Roman/fascist style,Thüringenhalle (1940s) is marked by some neo-GermanicHeimatschutz style elements.[citation needed]
The Stalinist early-GDR style is manifested in the main building of the university atNordhäuser Straße (1953) and the later more international modern GDR style is represented by the horticultural exhibition centre "Egapark" atGothaer Straße, thePlattenbau housing complexes like Rieth orJohannesplatz and the redevelopment ofLöbertor andKrämpfertor area alongJuri-Gagarin-Ring in the city centre.[citation needed]
The current international glass and steel architecture is dominant among most larger new buildings like the Federal Labour Court of Germany (1999), the new opera house (2003), the new main station (2007), the university library, the Erfurt Messe (convention centre) and theGunda Niemann-Stirnemann ice rink.[citation needed][117]
During recent years, the economic situation of the city improved: the unemployment rate declined from 21% in 2005 to 9% in 2013. Nevertheless, some 14,000 households with 24,500 persons (12% of population) are dependent upon state social benefits (Hartz IV).[118]
Former factory building, now reused for services.Anger 1, a big department store in centre.
Farming has a great tradition in Erfurt: the cultivation ofwoad made the city rich during the Middle Ages. Today, horticulture and the production of flower seeds is still an important business in Erfurt. There is also growing of fruits (like apples, strawberries and sweet cherries), vegetables (e.g. cauliflowers, potatoes, cabbage and sugar beets) and grain on more than 60% of the municipal territory.[49]
Industrialization in Erfurt started around 1850. Until World War I, many factories were founded in different sectors like engine building, shoes, guns, malt and later electro-technics, so that there was no industrial monoculture in the city. After 1945, the companies were nationalized by theGDR government, which led to the decline of some of them. After reunification, nearly all factories were closed, either because they failed to successfully adopt to a free market economy or because the German government sold them to west German businessmen who closed them to avoid competition to their own enterprises.[citation needed] However, in the early 1990s the federal government started to subsidize the foundation of new companies. It still took a long time before the economic situation stabilized around 2006. Since this time, unemployment has decreased and overall, new jobs were created. Today, there are many small and medium-sized companies in Erfurt with electro-technics, semiconductors and photovoltaics in focus. Engine production, food production, theBraugold brewery, andBorn Feinkost, a producer of Thuringian mustard, remain important industries.[citation needed]
Erfurt is anOberzentrum (which means "supra-centre" according toCentral place theory) in German regional planning. Such centres are always hubs of service businesses and public services like hospitals, universities, research, trade fairs, retail etc. Additionally, Erfurt is the capital of the federal state of Thuringia, so that there are many institutions of administration like all the Thuringian state ministries and some nationwide authorities. Typical for Erfurt are the logistic business with many distribution centres of big companies, theErfurt Trade Fair and the media sector withKiKa andMDR as public broadcast stations. A growing industry is tourism, due to the various historical sights of Erfurt. There are 4,800 hotel beds and (in 2012) 450,000 overnight visitors spent a total of 700,000 nights in hotels. Nevertheless, most tourists are one-day visitors from Germany. The Christmas Market in December attracts some 2,000,000 visitors each year.[119]
In freight transport there is anintermodal terminal in the district of Vieselbach(Güterverkehrszentrum, GVZ) with connections to rail and the autobahn.[120]
The twoAutobahnen crossing each other nearby atErfurter Kreuz are theBundesautobahn 4 (Frankfurt–Dresden) and theBundesautobahn 71 (Schweinfurt–Sangerhausen). Together with the east tangent both motorways form a circle road around the city and lead the interregional traffic around the centre. Whereas the A 4 was built in the 1930s, the A 71 came into being after the reunification in the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to both motorways there are twoBundesstraßen: theBundesstraße 7 connects Erfurt parallel to A 4 withGotha in the west andWeimar in the east. TheBundesstraße 4 is a connection between Erfurt andNordhausen in the north. Its southern part toCoburg was annulled when A 71 was finished (in this section, the A 71 now effectively serves as B 4). Within the circle road, B 7 and B 4 are also annulled, so that the city government has to pay for maintenance instead of the German federal government. The access to the city is restricted asUmweltzone since 2012 for some vehicles. Large parts of the inner city are a pedestrian area which can not be reached by car (except for residents).[citation needed]
The Erfurt public transport system is marked by the area-wideErfurt Stadtbahn (light rail) network, established as a tram system in 1883, upgraded to a light rail (Stadtbahn) system in 1997,[121] and continually expanded and upgraded through the 2000s. Today, there are sixStadtbahn lines running every ten minutes on every light rail route.[citation needed]
Additionally, Erfurt operates a bus system, which connects the sparsely populated outer districts of the region to the city center. Both systems are organized bySWE EVAG, a transit company owned by the city administration. The public service, managed by SWE/EVAG, is guaranteed by buses and trams in service from morning until late evening, with a night service starting from midnight until 4AM.[122]
Erfurt-Weimar Airport lies 3 km (2 mi) west of the city centre. It is linked to the central train station via Stadtbahn (tram). It was significantly extended in the 1990s, with flights mostly to Mediterranean holiday destinations and to London during the peak Christmas market tourist season. Connections to longer haul flights are easily accessible viaFrankfurt Airport, which can be reached in 2 hours via a direct train from Frankfurt Airport to Erfurt, and fromLeipzig/Halle Airport, which can be reached within half an hour.[citation needed]
Biking is becoming increasingly popular since construction of high quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. There are cycle lanes for general commuting within Erfurt city.[citation needed]
Long-distance trails, such as theGera track and theRadweg Thüringer Städtekette (Thuringian cities trail), connect points of tourist interest. The former runs along theGera river valley from theThuringian Forest to the riverUnstrut; the latter follows the medievalVia Regia fromEisenach toAltenburg viaGotha, Erfurt,Weimar, andJena.[citation needed]
TheRennsteig Cycle Way was opened in 2000. This designated high-grade hiking and bike trail runs along the ridge of the Thuringian Central Uplands. The bike trail, about 200 km (124 mi) long, occasionally departs from the course of the historic Rennsteig hiking trail, which dates back to the 1300s, to avoid steep inclines. It is therefore about 30 km (19 mi) longer than the hiking trail.[citation needed]
After reunification, the educational system was reorganized. TheUniversity of Erfurt, founded in 1379[25] and closed in 1816, was refounded in 1994 with a focus on social sciences, modern languages, humanities and teacher training. Today there are approximately 6,000 students working within four faculties, the Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, and three academic research institutes.[123] The university has an international reputation and participates in international student exchange programmes.[124]
TheFachhochschule Erfurt, is auniversity of applied sciences, founded in 1991, which offers a combination of academic training and practical experience in subjects such as social work and social pedagogy, business studies, and engineering. There are nearly 5,000 students in six faculties, of which the faculty of landscaping and horticulture has a national reputation.[citation needed]
The world renownedBauhaus design school was founded in 1919 in the city ofWeimar,[125] approximately 20 km (12 mi) from Erfurt, 12 minutes by train. The buildings are now part of aWorld Heritage Site and are today used by theBauhaus-Universität Weimar, which teaches design, arts, media and technology-related subjects.[citation needed]
Highersecondary education is provided at eightGymnasien, of which six are state-owned, one is Catholic (Edith-Stein-Schule) and one Protestant (Evangelisches Ratsgymnasium Erfurt). Among the state-owned schools are aSportgymnasium, a boarding school for students highly talented in athletics, swimming, ice skating or football, and theAlbert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium featuring boarding-school classes with additional focus on mathematics, natural sciences and computer science, in addition to the common curriculum.[126]
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was Manfred Ruge of theChristian Democratic Union, who served from 1990 to 2006. From 2006 to 2024,Andreas Bausewein of theSocial Democratic Party (SPD) was mayor. Andreas Horn (CDU) was elected in 2024. The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2024, with a runoff held on 9 June, and the results were as follows:
^As with the case of ananthropomorhic figurine excavated in Erfurt, some researchers including Olaf Höckmann[12] indicated those were intentionally broken, since Neolithic figurines in human figure were found in fragment in high ratio among excavations in central Europe.[13][14][15]
^Between 1631 and 1648, during the Thirty Years' War, Erfurt was occupied by Swedish forces,[26] thus theeffigy of Queen Christina appears on the 1645 Erfurt 10Ducat (Portugaloser). There are seven gold coins known to exist bearing the effigy of Queen Christina: a unique 1649 five ducat,[27] and six 1645 10 ducat specimen.[28]
^Mangold, Max (2005)."Erfurt".Das Aussprachewörterbuch. Mannheim, Leipzig, Wien, Zürich: Duden Verlag. p. 311.ISBN978-3-411-04066-7.Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved22 June 2011.
^Metaxas, Eric (2017)Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World, New York: Viking Press
^Schmidt, Christoph (10 June 2021)."Der mitteldeutsche Fundplatz Frienstedt".Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (ZBSA) — Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (in German). Retrieved9 May 2024.
^Höckmann, Olaf (1965). "Menschliche Darstellungen in der bandkeramischen Kultur" [Human representations in the band ceramic culture].Jb. RGZM (in German).12:1–34.
^Table of contents is available for "The Oxford Handbook of Prehistoric Figurines" (2017) online."Table of Contents"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 28 September 2017. Retrieved28 September 2017.
^Heinemeyer, Karl (2004). "Bonifatius in Mitteldeutschland". In Hardy Eidam; Marina Moritz; Gerd-Rainer Riedel; Kai-Uwe Schierz (eds.).Bonifatius: Heidenopfer, Christuskreuz, Eichenkult (in German). Stadtverwaltung Erfurt. pp. 73–87.
^Schmidt, Christoph G. (2004). "Im Machtbereich der Merowinger: Politische und gesellschaftliche Strukturen in Thüringen vom 6. bis 8. Jahrhundert". In Hardy Eidam; Marina Moritz; Gerd-Rainer Riedel; Kai-Uwe Schierz (eds.).Bonifatius: Heidenopfer, Christuskreuz, Eichenkult (in German). Stadtverwaltung Erfurt. pp. 39–56.
^abArcheologists Discover Medieval Jewish Bath in Erfurt, 12.04.2007, Deutsche Welle,[1]Archived 13 July 2007 at theWayback Machine
^Stürzebecher, Maria (June–July 2014). "Zwei Schätze: Zeugnisse jüdischer Kultur in Erfurt".Archäologie in Deutschland (in German) (3/2014). Darmstadt: WGB:32–35.ISSN0176-8522.
^abc"Kurzer historischer Überblick" [Brief historical overview].Napoleon's Fürstenkongress Erfurt (in German). Euratibor. Archived fromthe original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved2 January 2016.
^Gerhard Robert Walter von Coeckelberghe-Dützele (1834).Ruinen oder Taschenbuch zur Geschichte verfallener Ritterburgen und Schlößer (etc.) [Ruins, or: A pocketbook on the history of dilapidated knights' castles] (in German). Mich. Lechner. p. 21.Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved23 January 2016.Nach der unglücklichen Schlacht bei Jena und dem Rückzuge der Preußen, wurde sie durch Kapitulation den Franzosen übergeben, und erhielt anfangs eine ziemlich starke Besatzung; doch wurde sie in der Folge so von ihnen vernachläßigt, daß in einer gewissen Epoche der Marketender Sturm mit seiner Familie und ein alter Unteroffizier ihre ganze Garnison ausmachten. Damals war es, wo der Intendant Devismes und der Domainen-Direktor Gentil in der nach der Stadt zugekehrten Seite der Mauer einen Schatz suchen ließ, der noch aus den Zeiten des ehemaligen Benedektiner-Nonnenklosters hier versteckt seyn sollte, ohne zu bedenken, daß zufolge der oben angeführten, an der Mauer befindlichen Inschrift, kein Schatz von 1478 her in einer Mauer versteckt seyn konnte, die über 100 Jahre darnach erst erbaut worden war; aber die Habsucht eilte hier jeder nähern Untersuchung vor. Bei dieser Gelegenheit wurde auch die alte Burgkapelle demoliert und aus den verkauften Baumaterialien die Arbeiter bezahlt, die beim Schatzgraben hilfreiche Hand geleistet hatten. [After the unfortunate battle of Jena and the retreat of the Prussians, it was handed over by capitulation to the French, and was initially fairly strongly garrisoned; but was subsequently so neglected that at one time the whole garrison consisted of thesutler Sturm with his family and an old sergeant. At that time, Intendantde Vismes [fr] and Domain-Director Gentil searched in the city-side walls for treasure hidden since the times of the former Benedictine nunnery – without considering that an inscription located on the wall above showed that it had been built just over 100 years later, so no treasure could have been hidden there in 1478, but greed hastened this before any closer investigation. On that occasion the old chapel was demolished, and the workers who had helped dig for treasure were paid from the sale of the building materials.]
^abcde"Denkmale Erfurts 1806–1814" [Monuments of Erfurt 1806–1814] (in German). Thüringer Naturbrief.Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved3 January 2016.
^Willibald Gutsche, ed. (1989).Geschichte der Stadt Erfurt [History of the city of Erfurt] (in German) (2nd revised ed.). Weimar: Böhlau.ISBN3-7400-0095-3.
^abChristoph Wilhelm von Koch (1838).Histoire abrégée des traités de paix entre les puissances de l'Europe depuis la paix de Westphalie, Volume 3 [Abridged history of the peace treaties between the powers of Europe since the Peace of Westphalia, Volume 3] (in French). Meline, Cans et Compagnie.Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved23 September 2020.Le général Kleist assiégeait Erfurt. Par suite d'une capitulation signée le 20 décembre, le générale français d'Alton se retira dans les deux forts de Petersberg et Cyriacsbourg, et la ville fut remise aux Prussiens le 6 janvier 1814. [General Kleist laid siege to Erfurt. As a result of a capitulation signed on 20 December, the French general d'Alton withdrew to the two forts of Petersberg and Cyriaksburg, and the town was handed over to the Prussians on 6 January 1814.]
^abcde"1814–1850: Erfurt im preußischen Staat" [1814–1850: Erfurt in the Prussian state] (in German). Erfurt Stadtverwaltung [Erfurt city administration]. 22 January 2013.Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved3 January 2016.
^abGeorg Friedrich Hühn (1839),Kurzgefasste Nachricht von der Belagerung, Blokade und Einzug der Königlich Preußischen Truppen in Erfurt. Vom 21sten Oktober 1813 bis zum 8ten Januar 1814. In einem Briefe als ein Journal abgefasst, und an einen vertrauten Freund abgesendet. Bei Gelegenheit der 25jährigen Jubelfeier neu abgedruckt [Concise news of the siege, blockade and entry of the Royal Prussian troops into Erfurt. From 21 October 1813 to 8 January 1814. In a letter as a journal written and sent to a trusted friend. Reprinted on the occasion of the 25th jubilee], Erfurt.
^Frank Palmowski (2015) [First published 2013].Die Belagerung von Erfurt 1813–1814 [The Siege of Erfurt 1813–1814] (in German). Sutton Verlag. p. 25.ISBN978-3-954-00604-5. Retrieved17 January 2016.Preußische Truppen marschieren in der Stadt ein. Auf dem Anger kommt es zu Jubelszenen. Der Napoleon-Obelisk wird zerstört. [Prussian troops march into the city. On the Anger this leads to scenes of jubilation. The Napoleon obelisk is destroyed.]
^Schüle, Annegret (2017)J.A Topf & Söhne: ein Erfurter Familieunternehmen und der Holocaust. Erfurt: Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen
^Stanton, Shelby,World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946, Stackpole Books (Revised Edition 2006), p. 150
^Verein der Freunde der Citadelle Petersberg zu Erfurt e.V. (2015).350 Jahre Zitadelle Petersberg. Tagungsband: Wissenschaftliches Kolloquim zum 350. Jahrestages der Grundsteinlegung der Zitadelle Petersberg vom 29. Mai bis 31 Mai 2015. Universität Erfurt.
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