Discover Erfurt: Medieval Heritage, Gardens and City Views

A medieval mikveh, a continuously inhabited bridge and a garden monument from the 1960s reveal different sides of Erfurt. Culture enthusiasts will find evidence of Jewish life and medieval architecture here; gardens, animal worlds and viewpoints add to the picture of the city.

Jewish Medieval Heritage and Architecture

Erfurt’s Jewish medieval heritage includes the Old Synagogue, the mikveh and the Stone House. During the city’s medieval development, Erfurt was located at a junction of important trade routes. This heritage illustrates the coexistence of a Jewish community and a predominantly Christian society in this urban setting.

The particularly well-preserved structure of the Old Synagogue dates mostly from around 1100 to the early 14th century, when it was used as a synagogue. The mikveh’s original function as a ritual bath remains fully discernible. The two sites offer different ways to explore history: one is a building with a long history of use as a synagogue, the other a ritual bath whose original function has been preserved.

The Evangelical Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt is another example of medieval monastic architecture. Its church, three enclosed courtyards, and convent and service buildings form a rare, largely intact ensemble. Martin Luther entered the monastery in 1505 and celebrated his first Mass there in 1507. St Mary’s Cathedral houses the medieval Gloriosa bell, suspended freely in the central tower. St Severus is a five-aisled Gothic hall church; its furnishings include the Severus sarcophagus, a stone Madonna and a 15-metre-high baptismal font.

Krämerbrücke and Petersberg Citadel

The Krämerbrücke is Europe’s longest bridge continuously lined with houses and inhabited. It is 120 metres long and has 32 houses. Galleries and shops offer regional handicrafts such as Thuringian blue-print textiles, hand-painted ceramics, Lauscha glass and wood carvings. Regional delicacies include Unstrut wines. The bridge thus combines its distinctive design with handicrafts and regional cuisine.

On Petersberg, the citadel combines fortress architecture with views across Erfurt. It is one of the largest and the only largely preserved Baroque city fortresses in Central Europe. During a visit, you can explore the exhibition in the Commandant’s House and the listening passages within the massive fortress walls. Its elevated position and star-shaped layout offer several viewpoints with sweeping views across the city. Sunsets can be seen from Michael Bastion in the west.

Gardens, Forest and Animal Worlds

Erfurt’s urban landscape also offers a variety of perspectives. Steigerwald has been a protected landscape area since 1940. The city’s landscape includes 550 hectares of recreational areas, around 2,000 hectares of forest, 379 hectares of water and 156 kilometres of river courses. These figures encompass forests and water as well as recreational areas and flowing waterways.

egapark Erfurt is an important garden monument from the 1960s and comprises 20 themed gardens. The park also includes Thuringia’s largest playground, with a children’s farm and water area, as well as the historic Cyriaksburg Castle, home to the German Horticultural Museum. At Danakil, visitors journey through desert and tropics and learn how plants and animals have adapted to extreme living conditions. Within the park, landscaped gardens sit alongside an exhibition about adaptations to distinctive habitats.

The Thuringian Zoopark Erfurt offers another perspective on animals. It covers around 63 hectares and is home to more than 1,000 animals from around the world in enclosures modelled on natural habitats. Together with the city’s forests and bodies of water and its diverse themed gardens, it offers a range of nature and landscape experiences to consider when planning your trip.

On your trip to Erfurt, you can combine cultural highlights such as medieval buildings and fortress architecture with garden art, landscapes and animal worlds. Each place and theme has its own character, from the history of the Jewish community and the Augustinian Monastery to themed gardens and the ways plants and animals adapt to extreme living conditions.

Discover more destinations: Erfurt, Kerspleben, Molsdorf, Frienstedt, Tiefthal, Kühnhausen, Niedernissa, Ilm District.

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