Erfurt is the capital of the Free State of Thuringia. With almost
214,000 inhabitants (2021), it is the largest city in Thuringia and,
alongside Jena and Gera, one of the three regional centers in the state.
In addition to the state authorities, the most important institutions
are the Federal Labor Court, the university and the Erfurt University of
Applied Sciences, the Catholic diocese of Erfurt, whose cathedral is the
Erfurt Cathedral, and the state church office of the Evangelical Church
in Central Germany. In addition to the Krämerbrücke, the unique ensemble
of cathedral and Severikirche is one of the main sights of the city. In
addition, the city has an almost three square kilometer medieval old
town center with around 25 parish churches, the baroque Petersberg
citadel, the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe and numerous
half-timbered houses - and other town houses.
Erfurt was first
mentioned in a document in 742 in connection with the establishment of
the diocese of Erfurt by Boniface - even then as a large settlement.
Shortly thereafter, it developed into the center of the Thuringian
region, even though it was not part of the state politically for long
periods of time. In the Middle Ages, the city had a high degree of
autonomy. This changed with the violent conquest by the Mainzers in
1664. In 1802 Erfurt became part of Prussia (except for the period
1806-1814 when it was directly under French rule as the Principality of
Erfurt) and remained part of Prussia until 1945. The university was
opened in 1392, closed in 1816 and re-established in 1994. This makes it
the third university to open in Germany, but thanks to a founding
privilege from 1379 it can also be considered the oldest. Martin Luther
was her most famous student.
The city's economy is characterized
by administration and services. In addition, Erfurt is the location of
various companies in mechanical and plant engineering as well as in
microelectronics. Furthermore, due to the low labor costs and the
central location in Germany, an important logistics branch has been
established. After Leipzig, Erfurt is the city with the second largest
trade fair in the eastern German states. With its main train station,
the city is an important railway junction for passenger transport.
Erfurt is also known for its horticulture (egapark, German Horticultural
Museum, Federal Horticultural Show 2021) and as a media center
(headquarters of the children's broadcaster KiKA, several radio stations
and daily newspapers).
The city lies in the wide valley of the
Gera in the hilly, agriculturally intensively used southern Thuringian
basin.
Tourist Information (Touristeninformation), Benediktsplatz 1, ☏ +49 361 66400. M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su holidays 10:00-15:00. They also offer guided city tours.
The new building of the Erfurt Theater im Brühl was opened in 2003.
It offers space for 800 spectators and hosts around 250 events a year.
The theatre, which also includes the Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra, also
organizes the Domstufen festival every year.
In addition to the
Erfurt theater, there are other smaller independent theaters in Erfurt,
including the Schotte, the Erfurt theater company, the Neues Schauspiel
Erfurt, the Theater im Palais and the Galli-Theater. The Erfurt cabaret
Die Arche has existed since 1979 and since 2003 there has been a second
cabaret, the Lachgeschois. The range of theaters also includes two
puppet theaters, the Theater Waidspeicher and the Freuden Theater, which
perform plays for both children and adults.
In Erfurt there are numerous museums with different collection
focuses. They are of national importance in their respective areas.
The Erfurt City Museum is located in the Haus zum Stockfisch on
Johannesstraße in the east of the old town. The history of the city has
been presented there since 1974, with the focus on the late medieval and
early modern history of Martin Luther and Erfurt as a university city.
The City Museum includes the Neue Mühle Museum on the Schlösserbrücke
with a functioning historic water mill as well as the moated castle of
Kapellendorf near Weimar, the Benaryspeicher on Gothaer Platz with a
printing museum and an air raid shelter in the courtyard of the
Wigbertikirche.
The Angermuseum is located in the Kurmainz Packhof am
Anger and is Erfurt's art history museum. It shows the most important
collection of medieval art from Thuringia as well as numerous graphics
from the 20th century and an extensive collection of arts and crafts.
The life stages of the expressionist Erich Heckel also achieved great
fame. It is the artist's only surviving wall painting. The Angermuseum
was founded in 1886 from Friedrich Nerly's estate and has the
Barfusserkirche and the Margaretha-Reichardt-Haus in Bischleben as
branch offices.
The Erfurt Natural History Museum is located in a
former Waidspeicher in the Great Arche near the fish market. It was
founded in 1922 and has been in its current location since 1995. The
focus of the collection is on the flora, fauna and geology of Thuringia.
The trunk of a 350-year-old oak tree is installed over several floors in
the stairwell of the museum.
The German Horticultural Museum is
located in the former citadel of Cyriaksburg on the western edge of the
city behind Gothaer Platz and is part of the egapark site. His focus is
the development of horticulture and garden art in Central Europe. The
museum opened in 1961.
The Museum of Thuringian Folklore in Erfurt
shows exhibits of everyday and social culture from several centuries and
has been located in the building of the former Great Hospital on
Juri-Gagarin-Ring in the east of the old town since 1888.
The old
synagogue is located on the Waagegasse near the fish market. It was
opened in 2009 and shows the treasure of Erfurt as well as important
Jewish writings from the Middle Ages. You can also visit the Small
Synagogue and take part in a guided tour through the medieval mikveh.
In the commander's house of the Petersberg citadel there is a military
history exhibition. In addition, tours through the so-called listening
passages begin here, an underground system of passages behind the
fortress walls, which was used to hear attackers at night during
excavation or blasting work.
In the memorial site of Topf & Sons
south of Weimarische Straße in the south-east of Erfurt, the permanent
exhibition is entitled Technicians of the 'Final Solution'. Topf & Sons:
The furnace builders of Auschwitz the complicity and complicity of the
company in the Holocaust. The opening took place on January 27, 2011,
the day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism.
The
Andreasstraße memorial and educational center is reminiscent of the
former MfS detention center there and offers a modern exhibition on
Thuringia from 1949 to 1989.
In today's archive of the Stasi
documents on the Petersberg there is an information and documentation
center which addresses the structure and working methods of the MfS as
well as its historical development. Free tours of the archive are also
offered.
More than 100 doll houses, doll kitchens, shops, farms and
toys are on display in the Doll House Museum.
Temporary exhibitions
of contemporary and modern art take place in the Kunsthalle Erfurt in
the Haus zum Roten Ochsen am Fischmarkt.
Since 1993 there has been an
exhibition of concrete art in the Peterskirche on the Petersberg.
In
the Molsdorf district, about ten kilometers south of the city centre, is
the late Baroque Molsdorf Castle. In addition to the eight-hectare park
and the castle itself, it offers an exhibition of the painter Otto
Knopfer's estate.
The core of Erfurt is the old town, which can be divided into two
parts: the inner old town within the first city fortifications from the
10th century and the outer old town within the second city
fortifications from the 14th century. Both wall rings can still be
traced today; the inner one is traced by the Yuri Gagarin Ring and the
outer one by the City Ring. The inner old town still shows a medieval
image for the most part, which is characterized by the more than 20
Gothic parish churches and the surrounding half-timbered, town and
trading houses. Most of them date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries
(Renaissance/Baroque). Later, new buildings were erected selectively in
the inner city, but this was essentially limited to the main shopping
streets. The outer old town, on the other hand, shows a more mixed
architectural picture. In addition to small early modern buildings (e.g.
in Brühl), there are also large buildings from the Wilhelminian period
(e.g. in the station district) and subsequent epochs (especially along
the Juri-Gagarin-Ring).
It was not until 1873 that Erfurt lost
its status as a fortress city. The city fortifications were removed and
the areas outside were released for development. This allowed the city
to develop quickly, but also very regularly. In the following 60 years,
a belt of residential areas (the Erfurt suburbs) developed around the
old town. The oldest buildings of this phase are on Magdeburger Allee,
and the youngest are the Neue Sachlichkeit apartment blocks from around
1930 in Krampfervorstadt. This belt suffered neither from war damage nor
from later reconstruction measures, so that it is still completely
preserved today; only a few industrial buildings were demolished after
reunification. Nevertheless, there are major differences in the
appearance of the districts: richly decorated, detached villas dominate
in the south-west of the city, while in the north-east there are more
monotonous working-class districts with the typical five-storey block
construction. Unlike many other towns in central Germany, these houses
are unplastered and unadorned, typically made of red brick (manufactured
at the Roter Berg brickworks in the north of the city). The renovation
status here is relatively high, the proportion of fallow land is rather
low.
After the Second World War, the further development of the
city was determined by the state housing programs in the GDR. This
resulted in the two large housing estates Erfurt-Nord and Erfurt-Südost
with high-rise buildings in prefab construction. After reunification,
the city's population shrank as a result of emigration and
suburbanization. Suburban areas were primarily Ringelberg in the east,
Marbach in the west and other villages in the vicinity of Erfurt. In the
city, the construction of commercial and administrative buildings
dominated in order to fulfill the tasks of the new function as the state
capital. In addition, an extensive renovation of the old building stock
in the old town and the suburbs was achieved. Recently, more and more
new residential buildings have been built on vacant lots in the old
town.
The most important Romanesque building in the city is St.
Peter's Church. Erfurt Cathedral and the monastery and parish churches
in the old town, such as the Predigerkirche or the Kaufmannskirche, date
from the Gothic period. Secular buildings such as the Kornhofspeicher
were also built at this time. The Renaissance in Erfurt was
characterized by the construction of representative town houses.
Examples of this are the Haus zum Roten Oxen on the Fischmarkt or the
Haus zum Stockfisch on Johannesstrasse. The Electoral Mainz governorship
(today the seat of the State Chancellery) was built as an administrative
building in two phases. It has a Renaissance and a Baroque part. Another
important baroque building in the city is the Scales. The large citadel
of Petersberg was also built during the Baroque period. The following
epoch of classicism was not particularly influential in Erfurt.
Buildings from this period are the Kaisersaal, the Small Synagogue and
the Old Central Station. In addition to numerous residential buildings,
the town hall, the court and the Thomaskirche were built in historicism.
Between the First and Second World Wars, for example, the Luther Church
(Art Deco), the Thuringia Hall, the Jacobsenviertel and the state
parliament were built. The entire complex of the egapark dates from 1960
and the exhibition center, the new theater and the
Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle from the post-reunification period.
The list of cultural monuments in Erfurt includes more than 1,600
listed objects.
Because of its numerous churches and monasteries, Erfurt was given
the nickname “Thuringian Rome” in the Middle Ages. Today there are 22
churches and five free-standing church towers of former churches in the
old town. There are also eight other churches in the other parts of the
city and 42 in the incorporated villages, which means that Erfurt now
has 77 historic church buildings. There used to be up to 38 churches in
the old town (including the monastery churches of the 14 Erfurt
monasteries).
The landmark of the city is the unique ensemble of
cathedral and Severikirche on the cathedral square. The churches are
located on the Domberg and can be reached via the 70 cathedral steps.
The cathedral's largest bell, the Gloriosa, is the largest free-swinging
medieval bell in the world. The bell, cast in 1497, is 2.57 meters high,
2.54 meters in diameter and weighs 11,450 kilograms. It is still rung
today for special events and church holidays.
The Barefoot Church
was built in 1231 and once belonged to the Franciscan monastery. The
church was largely destroyed in a bomb attack in 1944. In its ruins,
open-air theater performances take place every summer. A renovation is
currently being planned. The cost is said to be around two million
euros. The intention here is not to restore it, as was the case with the
Frauenkirche in Dresden, but rather to build a superstructure in order
to preserve the remaining historical substance as a cultural heritage.
The Ägidienkirche on the Wenigemarkt was first mentioned in 1110. It
was one of the two bridgehead churches of the Krämerbrücke, but is the
only one that has been preserved today. Access to the Krämerbrücke is
through an accessible gate in the church. Its tower can be climbed and
offers a unique view of the entire old town of Erfurt.
Built
between 1270 and 1450, the Preacher's Church with the associated
preacher's monastery is a three-aisled, ribbed-vaulted basilica and one
of the most important buildings of mendicant order architecture in
Germany. Dendrological investigations showed that the roof truss, which
was made entirely of wood, came from Thuringian spruce trees that were
felled between 1279 and 1285. This means that the Preacherkloster has
the oldest roof truss in the German-speaking world.
At 60 meters,
the tallest tower in the old town is that of the Nikolaikirche on
Augustinerstrasse. Other well-known churches are the Peterskirche on the
Petersberg, the Kaufmannskirche, the Lorenzkirche and the
Schottenkirche.
The Augustinian monastery, built in 1277, is best
known as an important Luther site. After completing his studies in
Erfurt, Martin Luther joined the Augustinian hermits. He lived here from
1505 to 1511 and was ordained a priest in the cathedral in 1507. Today
the Augustinian monastery is used as an international meeting place.
During the summer months, concerts and theatrical performances take
place in the Renaissance courtyard of the monastery.
There are three synagogues in the Erfurt urban area. The only active church is the New Synagogue on the southern Yuri-Gagarin-Ring, consecrated in 1952. The old synagogue (today a museum) near the Krämerbrücke is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe and is over 900 years old. The mikvah, which was discovered during construction work in 2007 and is around 750 years old, belongs to the old synagogue. The small synagogue is located directly on the Gera behind the town hall and has been used as a cultural center since 1993.
Erfurt has one of the best preserved and largest medieval city
centers in Germany. A notable structure is the Krämerbrücke, which was
first mentioned in 1117 and built in stone in 1325 after several fires.
The 120 m long building spans the Gera and has 32 houses built on it.
This makes the Krämerbrücke the longest fully built and inhabited bridge
in Europe. Once there were bridgehead churches at both entrances, today
only the Ägidienkirche at the Wenigemarkt entrance has been preserved.
In addition to the Krämerbrücke, the Lehmannsbrücke, first mentioned
in 1108 and replaced by a prestressed concrete structure in 1976, the
Schlösserbrücke and the Lange Brücke were important bridges over the
Gera in the Middle Ages. The Roßbrücke from 1750 is also one of the
oldest preserved natural stone bridges in the city.
Right next to
the cathedral square rises the Petersberg, on which the citadel
Petersberg was built between 1665 and 1707. Today the citadel is the
only largely preserved baroque city fortress in Europe.
On the
grounds of the egapark is the Cyriaksburg, built in 1480 and expanded
into a citadel in the 17th century. Today it houses the German
Horticultural Museum and a viewing platform on one of the two fortress
towers.
Erfurt's town hall is located on the Fischmarkt between
Anger and Domplatz. The neo-Gothic building was erected between 1870 and
1874 and expanded in the 1930s. In the staircase it contains numerous
murals with scenes from the history of Erfurt and Thuringia. Opposite
the town hall is the statue of a Roman warrior erected in 1561, which is
supposed to represent the city patron Martin of Tours. There are other
buildings worth seeing at the fish market, such as the Haus zum Roten
Ochsen, built in 1562 and now home to an art gallery. To the left of the
town hall is the Haus zum Breiten Herd with its richly decorated
Renaissance façade. To the right of the town hall is the savings bank
building constructed in 1934/35 in the New Objectivity style.
Other buildings worth seeing are the Haus zum Güldenen Krönbacken, the
Haus zum Sonneborn, which today houses the registry office, the
Kurmainzische Stadthalterei (today the Thuringian State Chancellery) and
the Engelsburg building complex, origin of the obscurantist letters. The
nearby Collegium Maius of the old university on Michaelisstraße was
reconstructed by 2011 and now serves as the administrative headquarters
of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany.
On August 24, 2006,
the roof truss of the house at Dacheröden am Anger burned out
completely. The Renaissance building was then renovated for 1.5 million
euros. The house was a meeting place for scholars, writers and artists
in the 18th and 19th centuries. Goethe, Schiller, Dalberg and Wilhelm
von Humboldt were often guests of this house. In 1833, the successful
Erfurt entrepreneur Sebastian Lucius combined the two previous buildings
to form the current "Haus Dacheröden" and set up his textile company
there. At Anger 25 there is a savings bank building from 1930 in the New
Objectivity style.
As the site of Napoleon's Erfurt Congress of
Princes in 1808 and the Erfurt Party Congress of the SPD in 1891, the
classical Kaisersaal culture and congress center is one of the most
historically important buildings.
In the former Hotel Erfurter
Hof, built in 1904, the first German-German summit meeting took place in
1970 between Chancellor Willy Brandt and Prime Minister Willi Stoph. The
"Willy Brandt Room" is reminiscent of the spectacular ovations of Erfurt
for Brandt.
The textile office built in 1912 was demolished in
December 2014.
Zoo and Aquarium
The Thuringian Zoopark Erfurt is located in the
north of Erfurt and, at 63 hectares, is the third-largest zoological
garden in Germany. The zoopark is particularly home to large herbivores
such as elephants, giraffes and rhinos, as well as freshwater fish, and
is home to a total of 2500 animals and 326 species. The zoo park was
founded in 1959 and is spread over two locations. This includes the main
area at Roter Berg and the aquarium at Nordpark, which has been a branch
of the Zoopark since 2003.
The aquarium housed around 300 animal
species and had one of the largest collections of freshwater fish in
Germany. The focus of the aquarium was a reef tank with a volume of
54,000 liters. The aquarium had been closed indefinitely from March 31,
2017. The city administration justified this with “technical defects”. A
reopening is no longer possible because the building does not meet valid
approval criteria and cannot be retrofitted. The animal stock was handed
over or sold to various interested parties.
Erfurt horticultural
exhibition egapark
The Erfurt horticultural exhibition, the egapark,
is located on the western outskirts of Erfurt at the Cyriaksburg
citadel. In 1961 the “I. International Horticultural Exhibition (iga) of
Socialist Countries” which was consolidated as the iga. The 36-hectare
area is a listed building and includes, among other things, the largest
ornamental flower bed in Europe and the largest playground in Thuringia.
In addition to a rose garden and a Japanese garden, there are numerous
themed houses in egapark, such as the tropical house, the butterfly
house, the cactus house and the orchid house. The Cyriaksburg citadel is
also located on the site, which houses the German Horticultural Museum,
among other things. The egapark is also the location of regular major
events, such as the Festival of Lights in August and the beer market in
late summer. The garden monument from the 1960s, which is unique in
Germany, was renovated for the 2021 Federal Garden Show. It took place
on the Petersberg, in the Nordpark and in the egapark.
Parks and
cemeteries
Erfurt has numerous parks, for example the city park near
the main station, the south park next to the stadium and the largest
park, the romantic Venice Park north of the Krämerbrücke, which has
largely been left in its natural state reopened in 2010. Another park is
the Luisenpark, located directly on the Gera in the south-west of
Erfurt. There is also the botanical-dendrological garden, as a terraced
facility. The 1.5-hectare Brühl Garden is right next to the old town.
The self-contained garden is a listed building and was redesigned in
2001. In the south of the city is the 700-hectare Steigerwald, which
offers 36 km of hiking trails, among other things.
Some of
Erfurt's parks emerged from cemeteries. Today's Erfurt main cemetery
with memorial sites and graves of honor also has a park-like character.
There are numerous other cemeteries in the districts of Erfurt that used
to be villages.
The Krämerbrückenfest, which has been held annually on the third
weekend in June since 1975, is the largest old town festival in
Thuringia and regularly attracts a six-figure number of visitors.
Thuringian handicrafts and culinary specialties are sold throughout the
old town. Cabaret and a medieval market round off the three-day
festival. The New Orleans Music Festival takes place at the same time as
the Krämerbrückenfest, presenting the various styles of music from New
Orleans on the stage behind City Hall, from jazz to blues to
boogie-woogie and gospel.
Every year on November 10th, the
ecumenical Martinsfest takes place on the cathedral square, which is
traditionally known as Martini in the city. Martin's Day (Martini) is
celebrated one day earlier in Erfurt, since the birthday of Martin
Luther (November 10, 1483) is also celebrated here in addition to the
death of the city's saint, Martin of Tours (November 11, 397). For this
reason, the Catholic and Protestant churches celebrate the festival
together. On the evening of the festival, thousands of Erfurt residents
gather on the Domplatz, children bring lanterns so that the Domplatz is
brightly lit. After the festival, it is customary in Erfurt for the
children to go from house to house singing with their lanterns and
receiving sweets in return.
The Erfurt Christmas market takes
place annually from the end of November to December 22 and is visited by
around two million people, making it one of the largest Christmas
markets in Germany. It mainly takes place on the cathedral square
against the backdrop of the illuminated ensemble of the cathedral and
Severikirche. There are smaller offshoots of the Christmas market on the
Anger, the Willy-Brandt-Platz, the Fischmarkt and the Wenigemarkt.
From 1974 Erfurt was the venue of the Quadriennale of Arts and
Crafts in the GDR.
The best-known culinary specialty of Erfurt is the Thuringian
bratwurst. In the city center, bratwurst are sold daily at several
stands, which are traditionally eaten with mustard. Other specialties
are the Thuringian liver sausage and red sausage, which are offered by
various butchers in Erfurt. The names of all three sausage products are
protected as geographical indications of origin (PGI). Furthermore,
salads and soups based on broad beans and watercress are typical
appetizers of Erfurt's cuisine and bear witness to the city's long
horticultural tradition.
Other specialties are the Martins goose
together with Thuringian dumplings and red cabbage as well as the
Martinshörnchen, a sweet puff pastry that is traditionally eaten on
Martin's Day on November 10th. In addition, the Erfurter Schittchen, a
Christmas stollen, is baked during Advent. The pastry was first
mentioned in a document in 1329 and is considered the oldest Christmas
stollen in Germany.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, numerous members of the Bach family
worked in Erfurt, who from the 1630s onwards dominated the city's
musical life for a whole century to such an extent that in 1793 all
Erfurt's Stadtpfeifer were still called "Bache", although at that time
they were no longer musicians of this name lived in Erfurt. From 1678 to
1690 Johann Pachelbel was employed as organist at the Predigerkirche.
The most important figure in the city's musical life in the first third
of the 20th century was Richard Wetz, who headed the Erfurt Music
Association between 1906 and 1925 and whose main compositions were
composed here. Among the musicians of the post-war period, Johann
Cilenšek should be mentioned in particular, who also composed the
majority of his works in Erfurt.
Today, Erfurt has a lively music
scene, with live concerts almost every weekend. Big events take place in
the exhibition hall or the Thüringenhalle. For smaller concerts, the
house of social services (in the vernacular trade union house), the city
garden, the old opera and the museum cellar are available. Jazz concerts
also take place on many weekends in the Erfurt jazz club on the
Fischmarkt. In addition, the Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra, which
belongs to the Erfurt Theater, and the Erfurt City Harmony organize
regular concerts.
In the summer months there is a concert on the
Schuke organ every Wednesday in the Predigerkirche. The "International
Organ Concerts Erfurt Cathedral" take place in the St. Marien Cathedral
on Saturdays from May to August, which are continued from around the end
of July on the baroque Volckland organ in the Crucis Church. In
cooperation with the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" in Weimar, the
"International Bach/Liszt Organ Competition Erfurt-Weimar-Merseburg" has
been held every three years since 2008, which emerged from the
"International Organ Competition Erfurt Domberg-Prediger". However, the
city of Erfurt remains the most important venue for this competition.
The program of church music also includes, for example, night concerts
in the Augustinian monastery and performances of large oratorios by the
Augustinian choir and Andreas chamber orchestra as well as by the
Dombergchor in cooperation with various orchestras, often with the
Thuringian chamber orchestra Weimar. The Erfurt Church Music Days in
September are an ecumenical series of concerts that mainly take place on
the Domberg (cath.) and in the Predigerkirche (possibly) and the
Augustinian monastery (possibly).
Furthermore, Erfurt is one of
the venues for the Jazz Mile Thuringia. In addition, between 1997 and
2009, the Highfield Festival, one of the largest rock and alternative
festivals in Germany, took place once a year at the nearby Hohenfelden
reservoir. Every year from 1999 to 2012, on the last day of school
before the summer holidays, the festival Mega Rock in die Ferien took
place in Erfurt, which addressed the young audience with well-known pop
music acts. Erfurt is also home to various singers and bands, such as
Clueso, Northern Lite, Chapeau Claque, Boogie Pimps, Norman Sinn, Ryo
and Yvonne Catterfeld.
In addition to live music, Erfurt's
nightlife also offers a wide range of clubs and discos. A classic
large-capacity discotheque is the Musikpark in the Erfurter Hof, which
caters to all mainstream genres and age groups. The Cosmopolar is
located in the historic Hauptpost am Anger and focuses on house and
electro music. One of the oldest discotheques is the press club on
Karl-Marx-Platz with changing events. The Castel Sant'Angelo is a
student club in the old town.
The city of Erfurt has several venues for major events. This includes the Thuringia Hall to the south, the exhibition center in the west of the city and the cathedral square with the cathedral steps in the old town for open-air events. There is also the Steigerwald Stadium in the south of Erfurt, which was expanded into a multifunctional event venue by early 2017.
There are numerous sports facilities in Erfurt where national and
international competitions take place. The city is also home to several
nationally active clubs. Numerous Olympic champions, world and European
champions and world record holders also had their sporting home in
Erfurt.
Ice sports
Erfurt is a stronghold of ice sports. The
Erfurt speed skaters, who have always been among the best in the world,
are particularly successful. In particular, Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann,
Heike Warnicke, Franziska Schenk, Sabine Völker, Daniela Anschütz-Thoms
and Stephanie Beckert should be mentioned here.
Stefan Lindemann
from Erfurt was internationally successful in figure skating. Ice hockey
teams have also been based in Erfurt for decades. The currently most
successful team, the Black Dragons Erfurt play in the 2010/11 season in
the Oberliga Ost.
In 2001 the Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle was
completed. It has a 400 m ice rink and can be used both for competitive
sports and as a leisure facility. In the hall, which offers space for
4000 spectators, the German championships, world cup races and the
European championships in speed skating took place.
Football/
Soccer
Founded in 1895, SC Erfurt was one of the first football clubs
in Thuringia and a founding member of the DFB. Between 1903 and 1910,
the club was the leading club in the Thuringian area and regularly won
the championship of the Gauliga Nordthüringen in the Association of
Central German Ballgame Clubs (VMBV). The SC's greatest success is
reaching the semi-finals of the German Football Championship in 1908/09.
Like the city rivals VfB Erfurt and SpVgg Erfurt, the SC was dissolved
in 1945.
The most important football club in the city today is FC
Rot-Weiß Erfurt, which will play in the 2022/23 season in the Northeast
Regional League. In GDR times, Rot-Weiss Erfurt almost always played
first class and won the GDR championship in 1954 and 1955, still as SC
Turbine Erfurt. The club took part in the 1991 UEFA Cup and played in
the 2. Bundesliga in 1991/92 and 2004/05. The club plays its home games
in the largest stadium in the city, the Steigerwald Stadium, which has
space for 18,599 spectators and was extensively renovated from 2015 to
2017 for over 41 million euros and converted into a multifunctional
event venue. In the last second division season, an average of around
12,000 spectators attended the club's games.
At the city level,
the district league, together with the district of Sömmerda, is the top
division. The champion rises directly to the state class. The district
league north, as well as the first and second district classes are
classified under the district upper league.
In 2001, Erfurt was
one of the five venues for the women's European Football Championship.
Erfurt was also one of the twelve central German venues for the 2009
U-17 European Championship. Erfurt is the seat of the Thuringian
Football Association.
Cycling
Erfurt is also a stronghold in
German cycling and has a cycle track in Andreasried. The track, which
opened in 1925, is considered to be the oldest velodrome in the world
that is still in use today. After the last renovation in 2009, the track
has a length of 250 m, offers space for around 4000 spectators and is
completely covered. In December 2009, the velodrome was awarded the
Silver Plaque, the highest award for sports facilities by the
International Olympic Committee and the International Association for
Sports and Leisure Facilities. This makes the track one of 28
outstanding sports facilities worldwide that received this award.
Track cyclist René Wolff from Erfurt won the gold medal at the 2004
Olympic Games. At the 2005 Tour de France, three Erfurt cyclists were at
the start: Daniel Becke, Sebastian Lang and Stephan Schreck. Erfurt is
also the destination of the traditional cycle race around the Hainleite,
which was held for the first time in 1907 and attracts top German and
international cyclists every year.
Athletics
Great success of
Erfurt Sports was embodied in the GDR by the SC Turbine Erfurt, whose
athletics section produced numerous top athletes, Olympic participants,
European champions and world record holders (Manfred Matuschewski,
Jürgen May, Siegfried Herrmann, Klaus Richtzenhain, Dieter Fromm). At
the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, Johanna Klier became Olympic
champion in the 100 m hurdles, while Sigrun Siegl and Christine Laser
won gold and silver in the pentathlon. At the 1980 Olympic Games in
Moscow, Volker Beck won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles and Johanna
Klier silver in the 100 m hurdles.
Nils Schumann, who was
training in Erfurt, achieved his greatest success after reunification in
2000 with the Olympic victory over 800 m in Sydney.
With the
Erfurter LAC, the Erfurt running club and the ASV Erfurt, the city now
has three clubs that are among the top 50 athletics clubs in Germany. In
the club ranking of the German Athletics Association, the LAC ranked
eleventh in 2007. All three clubs together would only be beaten by Bayer
04 Leverkusen in Germany. The German Athletics Championships took place
in the Steigerwald Stadium in 1994, 1999, 2007 and July 2017, as well as
the European Athletics U23 Championships in 2005.
Erfurt was the
home and training center of numerous successful track and field
athletes; among others, the Olympic champions Johanna Klier, Heike
Drechsler, Silke Renk, Sigrun Siegl, Hartwig Gauder and Nils Schumann
trained here.
Swimming
With Jutta Langenau from Erfurt, Erfurt
presented the first European champion in swimming in the GDR. She won
the 100m butterfly in a world record time in Turin in 1954.
The
Erfurt swimmer who was most famous in the 1960s and 1970s was the
four-time Olympic champion, multiple world and European champion and
world record holder (21×) over the backstroke, Roland Matthes. During
this time he was a total of seven times Sportsman of the Year in the
GDR. He is still considered to be the most successful backstroke swimmer
to date.
Handball
The Thuringian Handball Club Erfurt/Bad
Langensalza has been playing in the women's national handball league
since 2005, in which the club was successful in the 2010/11 season by
winning the German championship and the DHB cup in women's handball. The
club plays its home games in Bad Langensalza and the Erfurt
Riethsporthalle. The club was formed in 1996 from a merger of HC Erfurt
and SV Empor Bad Langensalza.
For men, the state capital is
represented by HSC Erfurt. On January 1, 2004, the handball players
broke away from SSV Erfurt Nord and formed the independent club HSC
Erfurt. In 2006 a syndicate was formed with THC Erfurt/Bad Langensalza,
which was dissolved in 2008. In the 2010/11 season, the HSC took first
place in the Thuringia league and will play in the Central German
Oberliga from the 2011/12 season.
Tennis
The Erfurter TC
Rot-Weiss became champion of the 2nd Bundesliga North in tennis in 2005.
The club's facility with six clay courts is located on
Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Straße.
Volleyball
The SWE Volley-Team
Erfurt played in the 2010/11 season in the women's volleyball league and
in the following four years in the second federal league south. The team
has been back in the Bundesliga since promotion in 2016.
Inclusion
In 2021, the city applied to host a four-day program for an
international delegation to the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2023
in Berlin. In 2022 she was selected to host Special Olympics Monaco.[89]
It thus became part of the largest municipal inclusion project in the
history of the Federal Republic with more than 200 host towns.
Protected areas
There are three designated nature reserves in the
city area (as of January 2017).
By plane
Erfurt Airport (IATA: ERF) is of secondary importance.
Charter flights are currently available to some holiday destinations.
Planes take off in the direction of Antalya and Tenerife, among other
destinations. From the airport you can take the tram line 4 to the city
center and the main train station in about 20 minutes.
The
nearest commercial airport with scheduled flights is Leipzig Halle
Airport (IATA: LEJ) . Due to the good train connection, Frankfurt
Airport (IATA: FRA) can also be reached without having to change trains
(journey time approx. 2.5 hours).
On foot
Today, the
ecumenical pilgrimage route leads through Erfurt on the old Via Regia,
the royal road.
By train
Erfurt Central Station is a transport
hub on the ICE rail routes Frankfurt am Main - Halle/Leipzig -
Berlin/Dresden and Munich - Bamberg - Halle/Leipzig - Berlin, as well as
the Central Germany IC rail connection Ruhr area - Kassel - Erfurt -
Chemnitz. There are also connections from Erfurt to Würzburg and
Göttingen (journey time approx. 1:40 h), where there are connections to
the ICE network.
As part of the German Unity 8 transport project,
the high-speed line to Leipzig and Halle was opened in December 2015.
After Nuremberg via Bamberg, it was completed in December 2017, so that
trains from Berlin via Halle and from Dresden via Leipzig can be
switched to Munich or Frankfurt. ICE trains run to Berlin at least every
hour in 1:50 hours, to Leipzig every hour in 44 minutes and to Frankfurt
in 2:17 hours. The ICEs run hourly to Munich.
There are few
Intercity (IC) and no Eurocity (EC) trains to Erfurt. As a result, if
you take your bike with you, you are often forced to switch to the slow
local transport. Only ICE trains of the most modern series ("ICE4")
offer some bicycle parking spaces that require a reservation.
By
bus
Erfurt is served by numerous long-distance bus companies and has
connections to almost all regions of Germany. The long-distance bus stop
Kurt-Schumacherstrasse (the InterCity-Hotel on the station forecourt
helps as a guide) shares the space with the rail replacement service,
which occasionally leads to chaotic conditions.
Intercity buses
from the surrounding communities use the Willy-Brandt-Platz bus station
on the east side of the station forecourt.
You can find
information about coverage in scheduled interurban services here:
VWG of ÖPNV Weimar and Sömmerda mbH
On the street
In
Erfurt, environmental zones have been set up in accordance with the Fine
Dust Ordinance. If you don't have the appropriate badge, you risk a fine
of €100 when entering an environmental zone. This also applies to
foreign road users.
Entry ban for vehicles of pollutant groups 1+2+3
(Info Federal Environment Agency)
A 4: Departures symbol: AS 46
Erfurt-West and symbol: AS 47a Erfurt-Ost, arriving from Cologne or
Dresden
A 71: Coming from Berlin or Stuttgart/Munich
B 4:
Nordhausen–Erfurt: Coming from Hanover
B 7: Running parallel to the A
4 from Weimar and Gotha
Parking in the center
Multi-storey car
park at Domplatz, Bechtheimer Straße 1, open Monday to Saturday 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m., Sunday and public holidays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., exit at any
time
Multi-storey car park at the main train station,
Willy-Brandt-Platz 2, open all day
Multi-storey car park Anger 1,
Fleischgasse, open Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday and
public holidays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
By boat
Since the river Gera
is not navigable, Erfurt, like the other cities in Thuringia, cannot be
reached by ship. However, the Gera is a suitable area for water hikers.
By bicycle
Three long-distance cycle routes lead to and through
Erfurt:
D4, also known as the Mittelland route, GPS track and route
description in the bike travel wiki
Gera cycle path, GPS track and
description of the route in the cycle travel wiki
Thuringian chain of
cities
Erfurt has a well-developed tram network operated by EVAG. All
important points of the city can be reached by tram. Places that cannot
be reached by tram can be reached with a well-developed city bus
network. Stadtwerke Erfurt provide information on the route network and
tariffs.
Route map Erfurt (PDF)
There are six tram lines:
Line 1: Europaplatz-Rieth-Anger-Hauptbahnhof-Landtag-Thüringenhalle
Line 2: P+R Messe–egapark–Anger–Ringelberg
Line 3:
Europaplatz-University-Domplatz-Anger-Central
Station-Windischholzhausen-Urbicher Kreuz
Line 4:
Bindersleben-Airport-Main Cemetery-Cathedral Square-Anger-Central
Station-Wiesen Hügel
Line 5: Zoopark-Anger-Central Station
Line 6:
Rieth-University-Domplatz-Anger-Central Station-Steigerstraße
Erfurt is located on the southern edge of the Thuringian Basin, in
the wide valley of the Gera, a tributary of the Unstrut. In the south,
the urban area is bordered by the wooded heights of the Steigerwald. The
largest extension of the urban area is 21 km from north to south and
22.4 km from east to west. Due to the location of the city in the
transition from the Thuringian Basin to the foothills of the Thuringian
Forest, the altitude in the city varies between 158 m above sea level.
NHN in the north and 430 m above sea level. NHN in the southeast. The
urban area is drained into various rivers: the Nesse drains the western
districts towards the Weser, while the Gera and Gramme drain the center
and east of the city towards the Elbe.
Neighboring cities are
Weimar to the east, Gotha to the west, Arnstadt to the south and Sömma
to the north, each around 20 kilometers from Erfurt. The nearest major
cities are Leipzig (95 kilometers northeast), Halle (85 kilometers
northeast), Jena (40 kilometers east), Kassel (110 kilometers
northwest), Göttingen (95 kilometers northwest), Frankfurt am Main (180
kilometers southwest) and Nuremberg ( 160 kilometers south, distances as
the crow flies). Since Erfurt is only about 50 kilometers south-east of
the center of Germany, it is the central city of the country. Like most
East German cities, the city does not have a particularly pronounced
suburban belt and is not located in a metropolitan area. However, the
ties to the large neighboring cities of Weimar and Jena are close in
many areas, which is also reflected in various regional cooperations. A
term for cities like Erfurt that are not the center of a metropolitan
region, but also have more functions than a normal regional center, is
that of the regiopolis.
The relatively dense development of the
city center can be attributed to the fact that comparatively few
buildings were destroyed in Erfurt during the Second World War and that
these vacant lots - in contrast to many other large cities - were mostly
rebuilt. The local recreation areas in Erfurt are therefore almost
exclusively on the outskirts, e.g. B. the Steigerwald, the north beach
or the ega-Park. In addition to the Steigerwald, there are two other
forests in the city area, the Willroder Forst in the south-east near
Windischholzhausen and the forests in the Schaderoder Grund above
Tiefthal in the north-west. The remaining undeveloped area is mainly
used for agriculture, since high-yield crops can be cultivated on the
fertile soil. The only larger bodies of water are the Erfurt Lakes, a
series of flooded gravel pits near Stotternheim in the north of the
city.
Until Erfurt Fortress was
abolished by the Prussian government in 1873, the built-up area of the
city was within the 14th-century city fortifications. The city
fortifications surrounded Erfurt in a circle and had numerous gates that
gave their names to the suburbs that later developed outside. The
fortifications of Erfurt also included the Petersberg citadel and the
Cyriaksburg citadel as well as two city moats (the Wilde Gera in front
of the inner wall, which is now filled in, and the flood ditch in front
of the outer wall). The focal point of this "old Erfurt" was the fish
market. Between 1873 and 1918 an unbroken belt of Gründerzeit districts
formed around the old town, with the bourgeois districts being the Löber
and Brühlervorstadt in the south-west and the working-class districts
the Krampfer and Johannesvorstadt in the north-east. Daberstedt and the
Andreasvorstadt were partly bourgeois, partly characterized by workers.
This ring of old buildings in the Prussian style has been preserved in
its entirety, which is relatively rare in Germany. In addition, the
largest suburb grew in the north of the city: Ilversgehofen with over
12,000 inhabitants (1910), which was incorporated in 1911. In the period
up to 1945, further residential areas were built in the north and
south-east, turning the round city into an "elongated" one.
During GDR times, the city initially grew northwards, where from 1969
the Erfurt-Nord residential area, consisting of Rieth, Berliner Platz,
Moscow Square and Roter Berg, was built. From 1979 Erfurt-Südost was
created, consisting of the Herrenberg, the Wiesen Hügel and Melchendorf
with the prefabricated housing areas of Drosselberg and Buchenberg.
After reunification, new settlements of single-family and terraced
houses were built on the Ringelberg and in the surrounding villages,
which had been incorporated in 1950 and 1994. From 1990 onwards, a trend
towards emigration to the inner city, surrounding villages or the old
federal states became noticeable in the prefabricated building areas, so
that several prefabricated buildings in these parts of the city have
already been demolished. New green spaces were created in these places.
in the district of Weimarer Land:
Grammetal and Klettbach (the latter belongs to the Kranichfeld
administrative community)
in the Ilm district: Wachenburg office
in the district of Gotha: Nesse-Apfelstädt as well as Nottleben,
Zimmersupra and Bienstädt (Nesseaue administrative community)
in the
district of Sömmerda: Witterda (fulfilling community is Elxleben),
Elxleben, Walschleben (administrative community Gera-Aue),
Riethnordhausen (administrative community Straußfurt) and Nöda,
Alperstedt, Großrudestedt, Udestedt, Kleinmölsen and Großmölsen (all
administrative community Gramme-Vippach)
The urban area of Erfurt is divided into 53
districts. 44 of them also form a district within the meaning of § 45 of
the Thuringian municipal code. The districts were set up by the main
statute of the city of Erfurt. These are predominantly spatially
separated villages that were formerly independent communities. For 38
districts there is a district council elected by the people at a
citizens' meeting, which has between four and ten members, depending on
the number of inhabitants. Every three districts form a common district
council with neighboring districts. The chairman of this body is the
district mayor, who is also elected by the people. The district councils
are to be heard on all matters affecting the district and can decide
independently on matters whose importance does not go significantly
beyond the district.
Erfurt's population is roughly divided into
three types of settlement: (old) urban districts, prefabricated housing
estates and villages (all incorporated localities with the exception of
Melchendorf and Ilversgehofen). In 2010, 51.9% of the population lived
in urban areas, 26.5% in prefabricated building areas and 21.4% in the
villages. In 1990 only 48% of the population lived in urban areas, 40%
in prefabricated housing estates and only 12% in villages (the 1994
incorporations are already included here). In most urban districts,
however, two completely different types of settlements are combined:
densely built-up quarters of apartment buildings adjoining the old town
(built between 1873 and 1940; the population density of these areas is
around 15,000 inhabitants per square kilometer) and old new buildings
(around 1950 to 1970), on the other hand, a little further out of town,
there are also single-family house settlements (created from around
1920) with a low population density. Overall, Erfurt is very compact
compared to other German cities of the same size. The majority of the
population is concentrated in the old town and the immediately adjacent
Wilhelminian belt of apartment buildings. This concentration towards the
city center has increased significantly since 2000. On the one hand, the
wave of suburbanization triggered by reunification has subsided, on the
other hand, inner-city redevelopment measures have progressed, and
thirdly, the peripheral prefabricated building areas are shrinking
continuously. On the other hand, the area belonging to the city of
Erfurt is very large, which is why the population density in relation to
the entire city area is the third lowest among German cities after
Wolfsburg and Salzgitter. The extensive rural catchment area of Erfurt
has a certain tradition. In the Middle Ages, the city council built up
extensive communal land holdings, so that most of today's districts have
been under the Erfurt Council for the longest time in their history
(with an interruption in the 19th and 20th centuries). . There are eight
housing cooperatives in Erfurt, which own a comparatively large
proportion of the housing stock. In contrast, the proportion of
single-family houses is low. In the actual urban area without the
incorporated villages, only 5,784 (just under 6.4%) of the 91,011
dwellings in 2009 were in single-family houses, while the national
average was around 28.3%. The percentage of foreign population was 6.1%
in 2015 (3.8% in 2012), with Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Vietnam as
the main regions of origin. Quarters with prominent ethnic
infrastructure (e.g. migrant retail trade, services) can be found, for
example, around Schmidtstedter and Trommsdorffstrasse in the south-east
of the old town and along Magdeburger Allee in Ilversgehofen.
The
urban morphology of Erfurt leads to a very high level of social
segregation between the residential areas. Inexpensive living space is
found in prefabricated buildings, which in Erfurt (unlike Dresden or
Magdeburg, for example) were almost exclusively built separately from
other building types and in a spatial concentration on the periphery,
and are therefore only slightly attractive compared to old buildings
near the center. A 2018 study found a segregation index of 38.9 for
households that were dependent on unemployment benefit II in 2014. This
put Erfurt, together with Rostock, Erlangen and Potsdam, in the top
position among major German cities, with the average for all major
cities being 26.6. The social segregation of the city continues to
increase, so the proportion of households that were dependent on social
benefits fell from 2005 to 2014 in old town districts from 19.6% to
12.4%, in the prefab districts, however, only from 31% to 30 .2%. The
segregation of wealthy households is also comparatively high, they are
concentrated in a few residential areas in the districts of
Brühlervorstadt and Löbervorstadt as well as in upscale new buildings in
gaps in the old town.
The climate of Erfurt is characterized by its location on the
southern edge of the Thuringian Basin and the surrounding Harz mountains
and Thuringian Forest. Due to the leeward effect of these mountains,
some of which are more than 1000 meters high, the climate is quite dry
for Central Europe. While the relatively flat areas of the city center
and the northern parts of the city have a fairly even climate, there are
local climatic peculiarities in the southern districts such as
Bischleben or Molsdorf due to the mountain ranges of Fahner Höhe and
Steigerwald, which tower above the city center by around 150 meters .
In the years 1961 to 1990, the average annual temperature in Erfurt
was 7.9 °C, with the average daily maximum temperature in January being
+2 °C and the average minimum temperature being −2 °C. In July, the
average high temperature is 24°C and the average low temperature is
14°C. The average annual amount of precipitation in the period mentioned
was 500 mm, making Erfurt, together with Halle and Magdeburg, one of the
driest cities in Germany. The total precipitation falls in the lower
twentieth of the values recorded in Germany. Lower values are registered
at only one percent of the measuring stations of the German Weather
Service. The driest month is January, with most precipitation falling in
June. In June there is 2.7 times more precipitation than in January,
which means that precipitation varies greatly. Lower seasonal
fluctuations are registered at 68% of the measuring stations. The number
of annual hours of sunshine is around 1600 and, due to the heat
generated in the city, is around 50 hours higher than in the immediate
vicinity. The average wind speed in winter is about 6 m/s, in summer it
decreases to 4 m/s. The main wind direction is southwest. The values
come from the Erfurt weather station in the Bindersleben district at an
altitude of 315 m above sea level. NN, it should be representative of
the natural environment of the Thuringian Basin.
Traces of the first settlement in the current urban
area can be found from prehistoric times. Archaeological finds in the
north of Erfurt bear witness to human traces from the Palaeolithic
around 100,000 BC. Further finds in the pit of Erfurt-Melchendorf prove
a settlement in the Neolithic.
A large Germanic settlement
existed west of Erfurt in the centuries AD, which was cut into in 2000
during the construction of the federal autobahn 71 and about half
excavated between 2001 and 2003 (Erfurt-Frienstedt). For 480, the
Germanic collective association of the Thuringians (Thuringi) from
Hermunduren, Angles and Warnen in the Erfurt area has been documented by
traditions so far without archaeological finds being able to be proven
for the 4th to 10th centuries. From Roman times, on the other hand,
almost 200 coins dating back to the 3rd century were found, as well as
150 Roman ceramic fragments and more than 200 fibulae. There are also
eleven body graves from the Haßleben-Leuna group.
In the
aforementioned Germanic settlement, the Frienstedt site near Erfurt, the
oldest Germanic word discovered in central Germany and written in runic
script was found on a comb from a sacrificial shaft: "kaba" (pronounced:
kamba; comb).
The oldest known documentary mention
of Erfurt can be found in a letter from Bonifatius to Pope Zacharias II
as missionary archbishop in 742, in which the latter asks him to confirm
the bishops he had consecrated and established diocese seats, namely
"... the third in the place (in loco) which is called 'Erphesfurt',
which from time immemorial was a fortified settlement (urbs) of pagan
farmers..."
The diocese of Erfurt thus founded was already united
with that of Mainz in 755, when Bonifatius became archbishop of Mainz.
The reasons for this are unclear, possibly the proximity to the border
with the Saxons and Slavs played a role. At the latest when the diocese
was founded, there must have been a bishop's church, and one can assume
that this was a forerunner of today's cathedral on the Domberg. In 805,
Charlemagne declared Erfurt to be one of the border trading centers, not
far from the border of the then Frankish Empire. Erfurt had a royal
palace under the Carolingians and Ottonians, which is assumed to be safe
on today's Petersberg. In the 10th century, Erfurt came under the
secular rule of the Archbishops of Mainz, which lasted until the
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803.
In 1184 the Erfurt latrine
collapsed.
Outstanding evidence of Jewish culture from the High
and Late Middle Ages has been preserved in Erfurt. These include the Old
Synagogue, construction of which began in 1094, making it the oldest
surviving synagogue in Europe. The neighboring mikveh, which dates back
to the 13th century, is also one of the oldest in Europe. In 1998, a
Jewish treasure was found during excavations in Michaelisstraße, the
contents of which are among the most important testimonies to medieval
Jewish culture in Europe. With a plague pogrom in 1349, the first Jewish
community came to an abrupt end. From 1354 a second Jewish community
developed until the Erfurt Council withdrew protection from the Jews in
1453/54 and forced them to emigrate. Jews only settled in the city again
in the 19th century.
Stage of the “Brabanter Straße”
In
the Middle Ages, Erfurt was a stage on the once important east-west
long-distance trade route, Messestrasse, which led from Leipzig via
Cologne to the Duchy of Brabant and Antwerp, hence the name Brabanter
Strasse.
With around 18,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, the city
developed into a medieval city in the 14th and 15th centuries, only
surpassed in size by Cologne, Nuremberg and Magdeburg. Erfurt thus
reached the peak of its economic, political and spiritual-cultural
development in the Middle Ages and became the center of trade in the
middle Holy Roman Empire. This also included the development of Erfurt
into one of the largest woad markets in the empire, which began as early
as the 13th century. In 1331 Erfurt received the trade fair privilege
from Emperor Ludwig IV.
As early as the 13th century, the city
had grown into an educational center of far-reaching importance. No
other city in Germany had more students in the second half of the 13th
century. In the first half of the 14th century, the Erfurt general
studies developed into the most important educational institution in the
Holy Roman Empire. In 1392 the city - and not the archbishop - opened
the third university on German soil, which can also be considered the
oldest with its founding privilege from 1379.
One of the most famous graduates of the University of Erfurt was Martin
Luther, who studied here from 1501 to 1505 and received his master's
degree from the philosophical faculty. During the Reformation the
majority of the city turned to the evangelical confession. In 1521 Georg
Petz was appointed as the first evangelical pastor. The Erfurt Council
signed the Lutheran Formula of Concord of 1577.
On April 21,
1618, a contract was signed between the Archbishop of Mainz, Johann
Schweikhard von Cronberg, and the city of Erfurt, which confirmed the
freedom of religion that had already been granted earlier and expressly
extended it to the Erfurt countryside. The legal position of the city
was determined that it was the property of the archbishopric of Mainz
and renounced any imperial estate. The Thirty Years' War severely
damaged the city. Erfurt was occupied by the Swedes from 1632 to 1635
and from 1637 to 1650. The Peace of Westphalia did not bring the city
the hoped-for imperial freedom. This sparked off arguments that lasted
for years.
In 1664, French and imperial execution troops of the
Elector of Mainz and Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn conquered
the city. With this, the electoral Mainz rule was restored. As the
capital of the Erfurt state, Erfurt was now governed together with
Eichsfeld by a Mainz governor, who had his seat in the Electoral Mainz
governorship (today's state chancellery). In order to prevent further
uprisings and as protection against the Protestant powers, the elector
and archbishop of Mainz, Johann Philipp von Schönborn, had a citadel
built on the Petersberg site.
In 1682 and 1683, Erfurt
experienced the worst plague years in its history. In 1683 alone, more
than half the population succumbed to the deadly disease.
Witch
hunts from 1526 to 1705 are known in Erfurt. Case files are incomplete.
Twenty people got involved in witch trials, at least eight people died.
In 1705, the 42-year-old goose herder Anna Martha Hausburg from
Mittelhausen was tortured, beheaded and then burned. Her seven-year-old
daughter Katharina Christina had to watch her mother's execution.
According to the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the
city and countryside of Erfurt came to Prussia in 1802 as compensation
for lost areas on the left bank of the Rhine. After Napoleon's victory
over Prussia in the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt, French troops occupied
the fortress without a fight on October 16, 1806 after its capitulation.
In 1807, Napoleon declared Erfurt together with Blankenhain as the
Principality of Erfurt, an imperial domain that was not part of the
Confederation of the Rhine, but was directly subordinate to it.
In 1814, after the successful siege of Erfurt by Prussian, Austrian and
Russian troops, the French occupation ended, and in 1815 Erfurt was
returned to Prussia due to the Congress of Vienna, which ceded most of
the land area and the Blankenhainer area to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. The
poverty that prevailed at the time was alleviated by British aid money,
which also benefited war orphans in particular and was part of the first
major humanitarian aid campaign ever. With the settlement of important
mechanical engineering companies in the late 19th century, Erfurt became
an important industrial location. Horticulture and seed breeding are
still of particular importance today. The native Erfurt residents owe
this fact the nickname “broad bean”. The company "N.L. Chrestensen".
Around 1900, commercial horticulture in the “flower city” of Erfurt was
a global leader.
In 1906 Erfurt became a big city
with 100,000 inhabitants. The First World War cost the lives of 3579
citizens. When the state of Thuringia was formed in 1920 with the state
capital Weimar, the Prussian areas of Thuringia including Erfurt were
not included due to the resistance of the Prussian government. Like
Erfurt, some of these belonged to the province of Saxony. On June 26,
1921, the Thuringian costume and homeland festival took place in Erfurt.
After a positive development from 1923 to 1928, the city was
massively affected by the global economic crisis from 1929.
In
1933, the NSDAP took control of the city. In 1938 Erfurt was one of the
largest garrisons in the German Reich.
In the Reichspogromnacht,
the Great Synagogue was burned down and the abduction of the
approximately 800 Jewish residents began. The memorial book of the
Federal Archives for the victims of the Nazi persecution of the Jews in
Germany (1933-1945) lists 447 Jewish residents of Erfurt who were
deported and mostly murdered.
Between 1939 and 1945, between
10,000 and 15,000 prisoners of war as well as women and men from
numerous countries occupied by Germany had to do forced labor,
especially in the city's armaments factories.
During the Second
World War, Erfurt experienced 27 British and American air raids, not
counting the numerous attacks by fighter-bombers in April 1945. 1100
tons of bombs were dropped. About 1600 civilians lost their lives. 530
buildings were totally destroyed, 2550 severely or moderately damaged.
17% of the apartments were completely destroyed, many more badly
damaged. The historic old town of Erfurt was particularly affected.
23,000 people lost their homes. 100 industrial buildings were destroyed
or severely damaged. Valuable profane and sacred buildings were lost,
such as the Collegium Maius of the old university and the library of the
Augustinian monastery. All the churches in the city center were more or
less badly hit by bombs and artillery fire. The ruins of the barefoot
church, which was destroyed by an air mine on November 26, 1944, still
stand today as a memorial. For April 3rd and 4th, 1945, the Royal Air
Force had planned a carpet bombing of Erfurt using 2740 tons of bombs.
The attack was canceled due to the rapid advance of US ground forces.
On April 12, 1945, units of the 3rd US Army commanded by General
George S. Patton occupied Erfurt after fighting in and around the city.
On July 1, the Prussian district government ceased operations. The city
was assigned to the state of Thuringia with the administrative district
of Erfurt. On July 3, based on the 1st London Zone Protocol of 1944 and
the decisions of the Yalta Conference, units of the Red Army took over
the city and Erfurt became part of the Soviet occupation zone.
Erfurt slowly began to recover from the effects of the war. 30,000 cubic
meters of rubble were cleared from the streets, the tram and gas supply
were put back into service and schools were reopened. After the
dissolution of the state of Prussia on February 25, 1947, which was also
legally completed with the Allied Control Council Law No. 46, the
Thuringian state parliament declared Erfurt to be the state capital of
Thuringia on July 7, 1948, before the state of Thuringia was dissolved
and divided into three districts in 1952. where Erfurt became the seat
of the district of Erfurt.
During the GDR era, the large-scale
demolition of the Krampferviertel on the eastern edge of the old town
began in the late 1960s. The new construction of 11 to 16 storey and up
to 120 meter long prefabricated buildings permanently impaired the
townscape, which had been relatively intact and characterized by church
towers until then – despite the damage caused by the war. In addition,
new residential areas with a total of over 17,000 apartments were built
on the outskirts of the city by the end of the 1970s. The demolition of
the Andreasviertel was prevented by civil protests and the turnaround in
1989.
In March 1970, Erfurt was the scene of the Erfurt summit
meeting between Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt and the Chairman of the
GDR Council of Ministers, Willi Stoph. Among other things, Brandt showed
himself at the window of the Hotel Erfurter Hof, which is located
opposite the main train station. The crowd greeted him enthusiastically
with calls of "Willy, Willy" and "Willy Brandt to the window!"
In
1975, riots in Erfurt led to the first pogrom-like incidents in Germany
after 1945. The events of August 10-13 were directed against Algerian
contract workers who had been employed in various Erfurt companies since
June 1975. During this period, Germans chased Algerians through downtown
Erfurt several times and attacked them with iron bars and wooden slats,
among other things.
In the fall of 1989, ever larger
demonstrations in Erfurt heralded the turnaround and peaceful revolution
in the GDR. In 1991, 49 out of 88 members of the state parliament voted
for Erfurt as the state capital of Thuringia. In 1994, Erfurt University
was re-established; Also in this year, the Episcopal Office of
Erfurt-Meiningen, which had existed since 1973, was raised to the
Diocese of Erfurt.
The image of the city has
changed significantly in the years since reunification. Many buildings
in the historic old town have been renovated, and new buildings have
been built in some places. The redesign of the fish market was awarded
the special prize of the German Urban Development Prize 2014.
On
April 26, 2002, Erfurt was in the media worldwide due to the so-called
rampage in Erfurt. The killing spree at Gutenberg-Gymnasium was the
first shooting spree committed by a former student at a school in
Germany. Eleven teachers, a trainee teacher, a secretary, two students
and a police officer lost their lives. The 19-year-old gunman then
killed himself.
Since the 1990s, organized crime has been able to
gain a foothold in Erfurt with several mafia groups, such as the Italian
'Ndrangheta, but also the Armenian mafia (thieves in law). Among other
things, there was a robbery and an arson attack in the restaurant, as
well as a shooting on the street in 2014. The rocker group Hells Angels
was also active in the city.
In 2016, Erfurt was awarded the
honorary title of "European City of Reformation" by the Community of
Protestant Churches in Europe.
In the 2016 Atlas of the Future, the independent city of Erfurt
ranked 177th out of 402 districts, municipal associations and
independent cities in Germany, making it one of the regions with a
"balanced opportunity-risk mix" for the future.
In 2016, Erfurt,
within the city limits, had a gross domestic product (GDP) of €8.063
billion, ranking 44th among German cities by economic output. The share
in Thuringia's economic output was 13.5%. In the same year, per capita
GDP was €38,284 (Thuringia: €27,674 / Germany: €38,180) and thus above
the regional and national average.
As of June 30, 2017, there were 109,414 jobs subject to social security contributions in Erfurt and 82,419 residents of the city were employed subject to social security contributions. This results in a commuter surplus of 26,995 people, which is the third highest value in the new federal states after Dresden and Leipzig and underlines the importance of Erfurt as a place of work for the whole of Thuringia. There were 49,586 commuters compared to 22,696 commuters, with 27,033 from Central Thuringia, 14,163 from the other Thuringian regions and 8,390 employees subject to social security contributions from other federal states and abroad working in Erfurt. In contrast, 11,579 Erfurt residents had their jobs in the other districts of Central Thuringia, 3,906 in the rest of the federal state and 7,211 in another federal state. The average gross hourly wage in 2011 was EUR 16.97, which is within the state average and 24% below the national average (in 2005 the difference was 26%). The unemployment rate was 6.8% in October 2016, which is about 1.0% above the national average. In September 2016, 21,348 people, that is about 10.14% of the 210,504 inhabitants (main residence), were dependent on benefits to supplement their livelihood according to SGB II ("Hartz IV"). Due to the upswing since around 2005, the labor market situation has improved overall.
Erfurt was an important industrial location before reunification, but
many old companies, such as the Optima office machine factory in Erfurt,
had to close after 1990. This structural change brought with it the end
of old companies and the establishment of new companies. The economic
profile of the city changed from an industrial location to a service
center.
One of the traditional companies is today's mechanical
engineering company Schuler Pressen GmbH, whose plant in Erfurt emerged
from the former branch of the Berlin-Erfurt machine works Henry Pels &
Co. on Schwerborner Straße, founded by Henry Pels in 1902. Initially,
the company produced shears, hole punches and combined machines, later
also presses. In 1936, in the Third Reich, the plant was forcibly sold
by Günther Quandt as Jewish property to Deutsche Waffen- und
Munitionsfabriken AG. By 1939 the workforce had grown to 1000 employees.
In 1946 it was converted into a Soviet joint-stock company. From 1953
the company was called "VEB Pressen- und Scherenbau Henry Pels". In
1970, this resulted in the “Kombinat Umformtechnik”, an amalgamation of
19 metal forming machine manufacturing companies. In 1985, the plant in
Erfurt was one of the largest employers in Erfurt with 5,500 employees.
In 1990, this became the trust company Umformtechnik GmbH. In 1994 it
got a new owner, the Škoda Group from Pilsen. In 2001, Müller Weingarten
AG took over the company, which later became part of the Schuler Group.
The plant currently has around 500 employees and is active in press
construction for the automotive industry.
Also worth mentioning
is the factory for transmitter and receiver tubes founded by Telefunken
GmbH in 1936. After nationalization it was called VEB Funkwerk Erfurt
and continued to build radio tubes and measurement technology. In 1978
the combine VEB Mikroelektronik “Karl Marx” was incorporated and the
production of semiconductors began. In 1989 the plant had 8700
employees. In 1992, the Thesys Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik mbH was
founded from the VEB, which today produces semiconductor products as
X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries GmbH in Erfurt-Windischholzhausen with
around 600 employees. The industrial area at Urbicher Kreuz grew
continuously in the 2010s. In addition to X-FAB, the rehabilitation
center Sportklinik Erfurt and other companies were established here.
The Condomi AG factory for the production of condoms is also based
on a long-established Erfurt company, the Gummiwarenfabrik Richter &
Kauferer, which produced latex products as early as 1929. After the war,
the company was nationalized under the name VEB Plastina. At that time,
the product range included bathing caps and baby teats in addition to
condoms. In 2005, Condomi AG was taken over by its Polish subsidiary
Unimil. The Erfurt production company is currently part of the Ansell
Group.
Erfurter Malzwerke am Nordbahnhof is based on one of the
largest and oldest malt factories in Germany, the Malzfabrik Wolff,
founded in 1869. Getreide AG Rendsburg has been the new owner since
1993.
The Braugold brewery in Schillerstraße had its roots in the
Erfurt breweries Büchner and Baumann, which merged with the Riebeck
brewery from Leipzig in 1920 to form the Riebeck brewery in Erfurt. This
was nationalized in 1948 as VEB and from 1956 produced beer with the new
brand name "Braugold". In 1969, the Braugold brewery became the parent
company of the VEB drinks combine Erfurt. The Braugold brewery has had
different owners since 1990. Brewing operations ceased in 2010.
Erfurt owes its reputation as a city of flowers to the company N.L.,
which has been based there since 1867. Thanks to Chrestensen. In
addition to flower and vegetable seeds, the company's products also
include flower bulbs and seeds for medicinal and aromatic herbs, which
supplies gardeners and trading partners all over the world.
The
largest energy service company in Thuringia is Thüringer Energie AG,
which employs over 1,500 people in Thuringia.
Bosch Solar Energy
AG (formerly ErSol Solarstrom GmbH & Co. KG) was founded in Erfurt in
1997 and operated wafer and solar cell production sites in Erfurt and
Arnstadt. Before the two locations were closed, Bosch Solar had 1,800
employees and generated annual sales of 439 million euros (fiscal year
2012). After Bosch had discontinued the solar division, Solarworld AG
took over the factory premises in Arnstadt in March 2014 and, following
its insolvency, was resold to the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL.
CATL wants to invest around 1.8 billion euros by 2025 to build a factory
for lithium-ion batteries on a 70-hectare site at the Erfurt motorway
junction. In the long term, this should create 2,000 jobs. Construction
of this second location started in October 2019. The start of production
was originally planned for the end of 2020.
Erfurt has a high
density of media companies (KiKA, MDR Thuringia, Landeswelle Thüringen)
as well as several IT service providers such as Computacenter, IBM
Germany Customer Support Services, T-Systems and DB Systel.
With
251 employees, Milchwerke Thüringen GmbH, which belongs to Deutsches
Milchkontor, is one of the largest employers in Erfurt. In addition to
drinking milk, the production program includes cheese, cream, yoghurt,
quark and desserts. In the new federal states, the products are sold
under the Osterland brand name, in the western federal states the
products trade under the Ravensberger name.
With GeAT AG, the
largest Thuringian company for temporary work has its headquarters in
Erfurt.
The Erfurt Exhibition Center is located on the outskirts
of the city in the immediate vicinity of the MDR Landesfunkhaus
Thüringen and the egapark. In addition to a multi-purpose hall, it
includes two exhibition halls and a congress center. In addition to
exhibitions, conferences and congresses, the fair is also used for
concerts, TV and sporting events. The multi-purpose hall has a capacity
of up to 12,000 spectators. In September 2020 the construction of a new
hotel started. A seven-storey building with 150 guest rooms, a
conference area and a restaurant is planned. The Légère brand hotel is
scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2022.
Landesbank
Hessen-Thüringen (Helaba) has one of its two headquarters in Erfurt and
employs over 200 people there. Erfurt is also the seat of the Thuringian
development bank. In addition, the Sparkasse Mittelthüringen and the
Erfurter Bank eG have their headquarters in the city as regional banks.
Siemens AG operates a generator factory in Erfurt with around 800
employees (as of 2015). The factory goes back to being founded as a
repair department of Thüringenwerk AG in 1945.
Since 1999 there have been efforts to cooperate between the cities of Erfurt, Weimar and Jena with the aim of coordinated economic development and tourism marketing under the brand "The ImPuls-Region". Results of this cooperation are e.g. the Central Thuringia association tariff introduced in 2006 for public transport and the bauhaus 2009 theme year for tourism.
In 1847, Erfurt was connected to the Thuringian Railway from Halle
(Saale) and Leipzig to Bebra. Other routes lead to Sangerhausen,
Nordhausen, Kassel, Würzburg, Ilmenau and Saalfeld.
From 1882 to
the end of 1993, Erfurt was the seat of a railway directorate, initially
the Royal Railway Directorate and from 1920 the Erfurt State Railway
Directorate. Today, the city is still the seat of a branch of the
Federal Railway Authority and the seat of DB Regio AG-Verkehrsbetrieb
Thüringen.
Long-distance trains of the ICE line 50 (Dresden -
Erfurt - Wiesbaden) and the ICE Sprinter line 15 (Frankfurt - Erfurt -
Berlin) stop in Erfurt's main station. In addition, three pairs of
trains operate on Intercity line 51 (Cologne/Düsseldorf – Erfurt – Jena
– Gera). Additional trains on IC line 51 run on Fridays and Sundays to
relieve traffic. The ICE trains run almost exclusively on the new Erfurt
– Leipzig/Halle (Saale) line (VDE 8.2). At times, a pair of EuroNight
trains ran between Moscow and Paris in night traffic. With the
commissioning of the new Erfurt – Ebensfeld line (VDE 8.1) on December
10, 2017, Erfurt Central Station became an important ICE hub in German
domestic rail traffic. The following long-distance lines now also
operate: ICE line 18 (Munich - Erfurt - Halle (Saale) - Berlin -
Hamburg), ICE line 28 (Munich - Erfurt - Leipzig - Berlin - Hamburg),
ICE Sprinter line 29 (Munich – Erfurt – Berlin) and ICE line 11 (Munich
– Stuttgart – Frankfurt – Erfurt – Berlin). There are long-distance
connections to the following national and international cities without
changing trains: Basel, Berlin, Bochum, Dresden, Dortmund, Duisburg,
Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Graz, Halle (Saale), Hamburg,
Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Linz , Mainz, Mannheim, Munich,
Nuremberg, Salzburg, Stuttgart, Vienna and Wiesbaden.
In regional
traffic there are regional express connections in the direction of Sömma
- Sangerhausen - Magdeburg, Jena - Gera - Altenburg / Glauchau, Gotha -
Mühlhausen - Leinefelde - Göttingen, Mühlhausen - Leinefelde - Kassel,
Arnstadt - Suhl - Schweinfurt - Würzburg, Arnstadt - Grimmenthal -
Meiningen, Arnstadt - Saalfeld/Saale and Straußfurt - Sondershausen -
Nordhausen. In addition to the important connection Eisenach - Gotha -
Erfurt - Weimar - Apolda - Naumburg (Saale) - Weißenfels - Halle
(Saale), regional trains run to Sömma - Sangerhausen and Straußfurt -
Nordhausen. The two lines via Arnstadt to Ilmenau and Meiningen are
operated by the Süd-Thüringen-Bahn, a subsidiary of the Erfurter Bahn
(EB) and the Hessische Landesbahn (HLB).
The districts of
Vieselbach and Bischleben have other passenger stations on the
Thuringian Railway. On the route to Nordhausen, there is Erfurt Nord
station and stations in Kühnhausen and Gispersleben, while passenger
trains to Sangerhausen stop in Erfurt Ost and Stotternheim. There was
also the Erfurt–Nottleben narrow-gauge railway with a further seven
stations in the Erfurt city area, on which passenger services were
discontinued in 1967. From 1976 to 1995, an S-Bahn line was operated on
the 8.6 km long section from Erfurt Berliner Straße to the main station.
The Nordhäuser and the Sangerhäuser Bahnhof as the end points of those
routes no longer exist today. Today, eight of Erfurt's 17 train stations
are in operation.
Erfurt is connected to the federal motorways A 4 (to Frankfurt am
Main in the west and Dresden in the east) and A 71 (to Schweinfurt in
the south and Sangerhausen in the north), which meet at the Erfurter
Kreuz in the southwest of the city. Together with the Osttangente, both
motorways enclose the city and form the Erfurter Ring. Within the ring,
the federal roads have been repealed. The federal highway 7 connects
Erfurt outside with Gotha in the west and Weimar in the east. The
federal highway 4 only leads to Nordhausen in the north, while it was
replaced by the highways 71 and 73 in the south. Other important road
connections are the federal highway 176, which branches off at the
Andislebener Kreuz in the direction of Mühlhausen/Göttingen, as well as
the state roads to Buttelstedt (along the historic Via Regia) in the
north-east, Kranichfeld in the south-east and Arnstadt in the south
(former B 4).
Hannoversche Strasse has been developed as an
expressway, which begins at Binderslebener Knie on the edge of the city
center and ends after 14 kilometers at Andislebener Kreuz. Other
important inner-city roads are the Erfurt city ring and the
Juri-Gagarin-Ring, which follow the course of the former outer and inner
city walls and were laid out around 1900, and the northern cross
connection between Hannoverscher Straße in the west and Osttangente in
the east. The main radial streets are (clockwise) Magdeburger Allee,
Eugen-Richter-Strasse, Leipziger Strasse, Weimarische Strasse,
Clara-Zetkin-Strasse, Arnstädter Strasse, Gothaer Strasse,
Binderslebener Landstrasse, and Hannoversche Strasse Nordhauser Strasse.
Local public transport is carried out by the Erfurter
Verkehrsbetriebe (EVAG), a company owned by the Stadtwerke. The tram,
which opened in 1883 as a horse-drawn tram and was significantly
expanded between 1997 and 2007, covers a large part of the transport
needs, since the 87.2 km long network opens up almost all urban
quarters. Today, only low-floor trams (Combino and MGT6D types) are used
on the six lines, which run every ten minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
In addition to the tram network (referred to as Stadtbahn in the
Stadtwerke's own description) there is a city bus network of 24 lines.
Line 9 also runs every ten minutes, since it connects the Johannesplatz
and Daberstedt districts, which are not easily accessible by light rail.
The other city bus lines usually have a feeder function and connect the
incorporated suburbs to the tram. They run accordingly less frequently.
Additional regional bus lines are operated by EVAG as well as
numerous other bus companies. They usually lead to the bus station,
which is located right next to the main train station.
In the
evening network between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., the tram lines run
every 20 minutes and meet at the Anger in order to be able to offer
connections in all directions without waiting times. At night (between
1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.) a (limited) tram service is only offered on
weekends, also with a meeting point at the Anger.
In total,
EVAG's trains and buses transported almost 48.3 million passengers in
2015. Other means of transport, such as the railway, only play a
subordinate role in Erfurt's inner-city public transport system. The
Erfurt trolleybus and the Erfurt S-Bahn are no longer in operation. In
2008, around 23.8% of all journeys in Erfurt were made using public
transport, which means it is among the top German cities. One reason for
this is on the one hand the well-developed network, on the other hand
the comparatively compact settlement structure of Erfurt, which enables
a high area coverage, as well as the hilly topography and the poorly
developed cycle path network, which keep the proportion of bicycle
traffic low compared to other large cities.
The first airfield was opened in 1924 at Roter Berg north of Erfurt.
As was usual at the time, it had a 730-metre-long grass runway and there
were regular connections to Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, among other
places. Civil aviation ended with the Second World War, as the Wehrmacht
Air Force established an air base headquarters there. In the post-war
period, the airfield was only used by sports pilots before the site was
built over with the Roter Berg prefabricated housing estate in the
1970s.
Today's Erfurt-Weimar Airport is located in the
Bindersleben district and has been used for civil aviation since 1956.
Before German reunification, there were still regular scheduled flights
to Germany and other communist countries. However, these were gradually
discontinued in the 1980s due to the oil crisis and low utilization.
After reunification, the infrastructure of the airport was greatly
expanded. The aim was to increase passenger numbers to around 800,000
passengers per year. But despite subsidies of around 200 million euros,
the airport was never able to establish itself. The airlines that have
been won in the meantime, Ryanair (2005), Cirrus Airlines (2011) and Air
Berlin (2012), withdrew from the airport – often after the subsidies had
ended. The last remaining scheduled connection to Munich was also
discontinued in the course of the insolvency of the Berlin airline
Germania in 2019.
Currently (as of 2020), only charter
connections are being operated, primarily to the holiday regions around
the Mediterranean. In addition, the logistics companies TNT Express and
Schenker AG use the airport for air freight traffic.
In 2019,
Erfurt-Weimar Airport handled a total of 156,326 passengers and handled
3,297 tons of air freight, making it the commercial airport with the
fewest passengers in Germany.
Erfurt is located on the Gera cycle path and the Thuringian chain of
cities long-distance cycle path, they connect the city with Gebesee
(Unstrut cycle path) in the north, Weimar (Ilmtal cycle path) in the
east, the Rennsteig cycle path in the south and Eisenach (Werra cycle
path) in the west .
In city traffic, the proportion of bicycles
is around 9% (2009). There are a total of 167.4 km of cycle paths.
Nevertheless, the proportion of cycle paths on the main roads is
comparatively small and/or incomplete. For example, the university
cannot be reached via cycle paths. The condition of the cycle paths is
also not satisfactory everywhere, they are often paved and not
asphalted, there are no traffic lights for cyclists at crossings and the
paths lead over curbs. Trees and parked vehicles also restrict
visibility on and along the cycle paths in many places. Most on-street
cycle lanes are part of the pavement rather than the roadway, increasing
the risk of accidents between pedestrians and cyclists.
Erfurt is the seat of the television station KiKA, and the city is
home to a number of well-known figures from children's television. The
MDR broadcasting center is also based in Erfurt, and there is also a
studio for live productions and recordings, including the daily local
news format Thüringen Journal, which is produced here.
The Second
German Television (ZDF) operates its state studio for Thuringia in
Erfurt. From here, the employees deliver reports and background
information from Thuringia for all current ZDF programs.
Thüringer Allgemeine (TA) and Thüringische Landeszeitung (TLZ) report
with their own local editors from Erfurt. The Ostthüringer Zeitung (OTZ)
runs a regional office in Erfurt. All three newspapers have belonged to
the WAZ Group since 1990 via the newspaper group Thüringen (ZGT). After
a long editorial separation, they have been increasingly interwoven
since 2010. The internet offerings are now congruent and articles are
now being exchanged with one another in the print editions as well. The
TA, which has a higher circulation in the print media, and the MDR claim
to be opinion leaders in the region.
There are also various free
city magazines, such as hEFt, t.akt, DATEs, Blitz and Rampensau, which
contain event information and cultural articles about Erfurt and
Thuringia. Furthermore, the literary journal Wortwachsen appears every
four months.
In addition to MDR Thüringen, the Thuringian private
broadcaster Landeswelle Thüringen is based in Erfurt. Radio F.R.E.I.
also broadcasts from Erfurt (also in Esperanto and Latin) and is one of
six Thuringian community media and the only free radio in Thuringia that
is organized in the Federal Association of Free Radios.
The
Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) and the
Thuringian State Media Authority (TLM) have been based in Erfurt since
2004.
Since November 22, 1999, Erfurt has been the seat of the Federal
Labor Court, the supreme court of labor jurisdiction and thus one of the
five highest federal courts in Germany. The importance of the city as a
court location is underscored by the fact that the Thuringian State
Labor Court, the Thuringian State Social Court, the Erfurt Labor Court,
the Erfurt Regional Court and the Erfurt District Court are also based
here.
As the state capital, Erfurt is also the seat of the
Thuringian state parliament and the state chancellery. In addition,
numerous state offices and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) have
their headquarters there.
The chamber of crafts, the main customs
office, the chamber of industry and commerce (IHK) and the Thuringian
state finance department are also located in Erfurt. The Bundeswehr is
represented by two barracks (the Löberfeld barracks with the Bundeswehr
career center and the Henne barracks, which also houses the Thuringia
state command). Since 2013, Erfurt has been the headquarters of the
Bundeswehr Logistics Command, which is responsible for around 15,000
Bundeswehr personnel, including around 850 at the headquarters in the
Löberfeld barracks. The Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas,
Telecommunications, Post and Railways and the Federal Office for Goods
Transport each maintain a branch office. There is also a branch of the
Deutsche Bundesbank in the southwest of the city.
The state capital has two hospitals, the Klinikum Erfurt, which
belongs to the Helios Kliniken, and the Catholic Hospital St. Johann
Nepomuk (KKH).
The Klinikum Erfurt is located in the north of the
city in the vicinity of the University of Erfurt and is a maximum care
hospital with approx. 1300 beds. The hospital was founded in 1880 as a
municipal hospital. It was the workplace of various famous doctors, such
as Ferdinand Sauerbruch (as a young assistant doctor), Alfred Machol and
Egbert Schwarz. From 1954 to 1993 it was the Erfurt Medical Academy,
which was then wound up as a university. In 2012, the Helios Clinic
employed around 1800 people.
The Catholic Hospital is located in
the south-eastern district of Windischholzhausen and is a specialized
care hospital with around 450 beds. The hospital dates back to a
foundation in the 18th century and was located in the Carthusian quarter
of the old town until the end of the 20th century. The KKH had 900
employees in 2014.
In addition, around 500 resident doctors with
health insurance approval and around 230 dentists work in the city.
There are also around 50 pharmacies. The Thuringia State Hospital
Society is based in the south of Erfurt.
The University of Erfurt, which opened in 1392 and was rebuilt in
1994, can be considered the oldest university in present-day Germany
thanks to its founding privilege from 1379 and was even the largest
university in the country at times. Martin Luther studied here between
1501 and 1505 and received his Magister Artium from the Faculty of
Philosophy. This university, which was also often called Hierana (Latin
for the one on the Gera), was closed in 1816.
The Erfurt Medical
Academy, founded in 1954, saw itself in its tradition. This – renamed
Erfurt Medical University in 1992 – trained medical students in the
clinical semester to become doctors and dentists until 1996, carried out
recognized research work and had the right to award doctorates and
habilitation. This academic institution was never transferred or
incorporated into the newly founded University of Erfurt. It was
abolished at the end of 1993 and the clinics and departments were
transferred to a maximum-care hospital (Helios-Klinikum Erfurt). Since
2021, the HMU Health and Medical University has again had its seat in
Erfurt.
The university was re-established in 1994 under the
influence of the Erfurt University Society, which was formed from a
citizens' initiative in 1987. The Erfurt University of Education, which
had existed since 1969, was merged into the newly founded university.
There are currently 30 courses on offer at four faculties (faculties of
political science, philosophy, education and Catholic theology), with
all courses ending with a bachelor's or master's degree. Around 5,200
students are currently enrolled in Erfurt. Special institutions of the
university are the Max Weber College for Cultural and Social Science
Studies and the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy. The Erfurt/Gotha
University and Research Library, which opened in 1999, had a stock of
750,000 volumes, as well as another 550,000 volumes in neighboring
Gotha, mostly from the 16th to 19th centuries. Since 2018, the Erfurt
University Library and the Gotha Research Library have been independent
institutions of Erfurt University again.
In 2011, more than 4,600
students were studying at the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences in
the fields of applied computer science, architecture, civil engineering,
education and training of children, forestry, horticulture, building and
energy technology, conservation and restoration, landscape architecture,
social work, urban and regional planning, transport and transportation,
and economics. The FH is a new foundation of the state of Thuringia and
has existed since 1991. The university follows a long tradition, going
back to the engineering schools for horticulture and construction
founded in 1946 and 1901.
In 2007, in addition to the state
educational institutions, the private Adam Ries University of Applied
Sciences was founded with dual courses in tourism, taxes and auditing.
It was possible to complete the degree as a Bachelor of Arts. In 2013,
the university was closed and replaced by a study location of the
International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef Bonn |
International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef Bonn. As the
IUBH International University, the university moved its headquarters to
Erfurt in 2019 and was renamed the IU International University in 2021.
Erfurt has also been the location of two economic research
institutes since 2007. The Wilhelm Röpke Institute and the Thuringian
branch of the Hamburg Institute for World Economics were based in
Erfurt. Today there is only the Röpke Institute in Erfurt.
The
seminary in Erfurt is the only training center for prospective priests
from the Roman Catholic dioceses in East Germany. Currently, about 35
seminarians belong to the house.
There are also 30 elementary schools (including the Rainbow Free
School Erfurt and the Montessori integration school), 10 regular
schools, 3 comprehensive schools (including the Free Waldorf School
Erfurt), 9 high schools (including a mathematical and scientific special
school section and the Pierre de Coubertin sports high school), 9
community schools, 16 vocational schools, 1 adult education center, 7
special schools (including the Christophorus School and the Christian
Youth Village Erfurt - rehabilitation center), the Protestant community
school Erfurt, 2 music schools and 2 painting schools (one municipal and
one private).
The Association for History and Archeology of
Erfurt researches and disseminates the history of the city in
cooperation with schools, universities and institutions.
Erfurt
was named "City of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD)" for the years 2008/09.
City tourism in Erfurt – as in all of Germany – is a growing industry, with Erfurt attracting many visitors in particular because of its historic cityscape. In 2012 there were around 4,800 hotel beds in the city, used by almost 450,000 guests. The number of overnight stays was over 700,000, with the proportion of foreign visitors being comparatively small. Important points of attraction for tourists are the Erfurt Christmas market with around two million visitors a year or the Krämerbrückenfest in summer. Among the municipal museums, the Old Synagogue had the highest annual number of visitors with 50,000 visitors.
People born in Erfurt are also known as broad beans. The legume was
already being cultivated on the Erfurt fields in the Middle Ages and was
an important foodstuff for the population at that time. Legends tell
that the people of Erfurt at that time always had a small supply of the
beans with them so that they could eat them out of their pockets on the
go.
To this day, broad beans form the basis of typical Erfurt
dishes, such as broad bean soup and broad bean salad. Furthermore, the
Thüringer Steiner Spielwarenfabrik from Georgenthal produces plush broad
beans, which have been successfully sold by Erfurt Tourismus und
Marketing GmbH for several years.
Furthermore, all newborns
receive a genuine Erfurt broad bean. Boys get a light blue one and girls
get a pink one. The puff beans are supposed to welcome the new residents
of Erfurt and bring good luck. You can't buy these beans. But there is
the possibility to buy a green fava bean in different variants.
The corvette Erfurt (F 262) of the German Navy of the type K130 bears
the name of the city and was built between 2005 and 2007 in the
Nordseewerke GmbH in Emden. On February 28, 2013, the ship was put into
service and assigned to the Warnemünde naval base in Rostock.
There is also an ICE-T (multiple unit 1104) from Deutsche Bahn and an
Airbus A350-900 (aircraft registration: D-AIXJ) from Lufthansa with the
name of the city. The train and plane were named in 2002 and 2018,
respectively. There is also a recreation area in the city of Shawnee,
Kansas, which has been officially named Erfurt Park since 2015.
Architectural monuments, sights and events in Erfurt repeatedly prompted the issue of official stamps. The first postage stamps of a private Erfurt city post from 1888 – soon discontinued after protests from the Reichspost – were not followed until 1955 by a special stamp from the Deutsche Post of the GDR depicting Erfurt Cathedral. The International Horticultural Exhibition (IGA) opened in 1961 was reflected in several series of special stamps with floral motifs. Three special stamps appeared in the same year on the occasion of the IV Pioneers' Meeting in Erfurt, where SED leader Walter Ulbricht became an honorary pioneer. In addition to listed buildings, a special stamp was also dedicated to Erfurt Zoo in 1975. In 1992, 2001 and 2004 postage stamps depicting buildings in Erfurt were issued in reunified Germany. The Erfurt treasure discovered in 1998, together with the Jewish wedding ring found there, was depicted on a special stamp issued by Deutsche Post AG in 2010.