Discover Kerspleben

Kerspleben brings together local history, church architecture and landscape in various ways. The Church of the Holy Spirit combines a historic tower with a late Gothic winged altarpiece. The local history museum and the small historic monument “Franzosenkreuz” offer further insights into the village’s history; protected landscape areas lie north of the village. These themes give you several points of reference when historic architecture, local traditions or landscape shape your travel plans.

Church of the Holy Spirit: tower and late Gothic altarpiece

The Church of the Holy Spirit has a 52-metre-high bell and signal tower dating from 1456. In addition to its religious function, the tower was used to monitor the Via Regia trade route. With its slender structure and pointed spire, it is considered a landmark of Kerspleben. The tower thus brings together architectural form, a local landmark and a historic function.

The church interior is another defining feature of the church. The German Foundation for Monument Protection counts it among the most beautiful Baroque church interiors in Thuringia because of its cohesive design. The church also houses a late Gothic winged altarpiece with 15 limewood figures dating from 1490. The tower represents a historic function and a distinctive architectural form, while the altarpiece puts the late Gothic furnishings in the spotlight.

Local history museum and village history

The Kerspleben Local History and Historical Society opened the local history museum in 2004 to mark the village’s 900th anniversary. A dedicated room houses the original, reconstructed old Kerspleben bread oven used by the Reichenbach bakers and later by Wunderlich. The oven adds a tangible piece of local baking tradition to the village’s history, linking a historic object to the names of the bakers associated with it.

The local history museum is open by appointment. Please arrange a time with the operator before visiting.

Small historic monument and landscape

The small historic monument stands in the “Beim Kreuzchen” fields. It was first called “Kurzes Kreuz” and later “Franzosenkreuz.” Only the letter “T” is legible in its upper inscription. The name and the surviving inscription give the monument two distinct features: its changing name and the remaining letter.

The stream is also part of the village’s history: historically, it formed the natural eastern and southern boundary of the old village of Kerspleben. This is distinct from the protected landscape areas in the northern hill range. These consist mainly of dry grassland habitats and traditional orchards. This makes it possible to distinguish the historic village boundary from the described landscape areas in both space and time.

Erfurt as the main travel destination

The main destination, Erfurt, offers its own urban cultural attractions. The UNESCO World Heritage Site “Jewish-Medieval Heritage in Erfurt” is located in the heart of Erfurt’s Old Town and comprises the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House. These buildings are rare and exceptionally well-preserved examples of Jewish architecture in Central Europe. Erfurt’s Old Town therefore offers a different historical focus from Kerspleben’s local history museum and church.

Another landmark of Erfurt is the Krämerbrücke. It is Europe’s longest continuously built-up and inhabited bridge. The egapark Erfurt offers a completely different range of attractions: it includes the Danakil Desert and Jungle House, themed gardens, the Forest of Knowledge and the German Horticultural Museum. The park also has Europe’s largest flowerbed planted in ornamental patterns, covering an area of 6,000 m². Erfurt’s cultural and garden attractions thus complement the distinct perspective on Kerspleben’s architectural history, museum and landscape.

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

Back to the main travel overview: Erfurt.