Germany: Erfurt diaries : Part 1
A brief account of my day trip to Erfurt, Germany
Erfurt is the capital city of the free state of Thuringia — the central province of Germany. Being the capital city of the province, it is well connected by high speed and regional trains and owing to high train frequency, can be reached relatively easily. On one of the sunny days of July, I had the opportunity to visit the city which is associated with the famous personalities like Dr. Martin Luther and remains one of the richest European cities of the medieval ages and beyond.
On reaching the central station, I was picked up by a friend who took the time to show me around. Erfurt is a city whose impression grew on me the more I knew about it. We started with the Merchant’s bridge (The Krämerbrücke) which is built over the branches of The Gera river. As soon as one is at the area close to the bridge one can see small children playing around in the flowing water while there are ample benches to enjoy some chilled beer in the sun.
Incidentally, one is surprised to know that the Krämerbrücke is the longest series of inhabited buildings on any bridge in Europe. While the bridge was initially built with timber, later reinforcements were required in stone work for maintaining the structural integrity of the 120 meter long bridge. There are shops selling antiques, blue colored fabric as well as cafés adding to the local residents who still live on the bridge. While we travelled through the bridge, I could sight the beautiful street artwork in front of a few residential buildings on the bridge.
Other information which i learnt was the way traders are assigned a particular place on the bridge. It is not allowed to sell goods and artwork on the bridge street. In order to rent a shop on the bridge, one needs to give a presentation of the products they would be selling and how it connects with culture and the bridge committee select the right pitch. So if you are buying a glassware or a special souvenir, make sure you listen to that special story from the traders on what got them that place of business and I am sure there would be something more to learn from it. The bridge on its eastern part has the Church of St. Aegidius, which is known for brilliant panoramic views once you climb to the top through the rote turm. However, be sure of the timings for the same.
The reason Erfurt was an area of interest in the middle ages was the richness in the city — one reason being the geographical location, the other cultivation of woad / waid (a flowering plant). Erfurt was situated on the trade route between France and Russia which is often referred to as the Via Regia as well as the route connecting the cities of the Roman empire which gave the city its importance. The wealth came from trading woad harvest. As I mentioned before, the blue colored fabric sold as a souvenir on the Krämerbrücke signifies the blue dye produced from Fäberwaid (or waid) which was cultivated in the region of Germany including Erfurt. With the city coffers overflowing with wealth made from Waid trading it became one of the largest cities of the central europe at the time with more than 22,000 residents. This was also one of the reasons that the city could fund its own university which became one of the finest in the region. With Waid cultivation in its prime, the city was housing many inventories for storage of the plant.
For using the dye from this plant, there was a need for ammonia and it became common practice for people being paid a wage to take a leak on the inventory for generating trade for the city and more-than-enough wealth for everyone — a one of a kind job which anyone would die for! It is also clear from the inventory windows, which provided sufficient ventilation for air circulation. If you think about it, this story would lead you to the phrase “stinking rich” which we use colloquially today. This is a good point also to mention the effect Erfurt had on the language of the land. Erfurt had a lot of narrow roads and when vehicles would pass by at screeching speeds they would leave cut marks on the stones along the streets — this act became a common term which is even being used today. So if you hear someone in a hurry in Germany say “die Kurve kratzen” (in english : scratching the curve) you know this term came from Erfurt.
The University of Erfurt was established way back in 1379. Most popular for being the alma mater to Dr. Martin Luther, the university was rich in academics for a long time, however the interruptions began with Erfurt becoming part of the Prussian empire in 1802 who had a decree to close the university and shift / establish popular institutions in places like Berlin.
This is the picture of the old university from where Dr. Martin Luther graduated. On the glass work at the top of the building can be seen the four departments that used to exist at that time which read as (from left religion, justice & law, medicine and astronomy & science). While his dad wanted him to practice law on graduation, he became a monk at St. Augustine’s Monastery and returned back to Erfurt for preaching. Its at the St. Michael’s Church next to the university where Dr. Martin Luther gave his first message.
The architecture or Erfurt is something that cannot be missed. The streets are full of half-timbered houses and the old city has a lot of narrow roads with stone reinforcements on its edges. The half timbered houses with different colors can be found on the merchant bridge and even the interiors of the old city — a sight which I would carry in my mind for a lot of years to come.
Another feather in Erfurt City’s cap is the Old synagogue which is a UNESCO recognised center. Termed as the oldest synagogue to be standing till its roof had been constructed in the 1100s owing to the thriving and prosperous jewish community back in those days.
Erfurt saw the Jewish massacre in the 14th century and the Jews were banned from the city. The synagogue was converted to a storehouse and over the years had many buildings built around it. The building was used for storage for as many as 500 years. Today, the rich history of the building can be seen as it has been converted to a museum. In 1998, gold ornaments and coins were found by archaeologists in the walls of the synagogue which are thought to be belonging to the Jews who hid them here during the massacre of 1349.
While I travelled through the city streets I could see the wide cobblestone pathways with buildings designed in half timber on both sides giving a medieval look which is still intact. There was time for us to have some local beer called Riebeck and of course have a Bratwurst! On our way to Domplatz — the main market square of Erfurt we saw markings on the wall for people to make measurements standardized.
Such structures were made on the walls during the Prussian Era to make sure that the city was following the same units of measurement.
The Domplatz (cathedral square) serves as the main market square of the city which is decorated with an elaborate christmas market towards the end of the year. At the square one can see the panorama of St Mary’s Cathedral and its rich Gothic style architecture and the Erfurt bell. In the middle of the square lies the minerva fountain — the base has the statue of Minerva — the roman goddess of art and science which depicts the charming culture of the this city .
Its funny to me that being one of the oldest city of Europe, still Erfurt is relatively unknown to the tourist population coming to germany each year. While the city has so much to offer it feels like a pearl lying within a shell which only the devoted travellers would find out. I feel I was lucky to have a friend from Erfurt who introduced me to the city and shared a glimpse of the richness of this place.
I plan to travel again to Erfurt to take a look around the Petersberg Citadel and also write in my next article about St. Mary’s cathedral which I find impressive due to the gloriosa bell — the largest medieval free swinging bell.
