Page 198 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

196  EASTERN GERM AN Y THURINGIA  197

8 Erfurt esque bronze man­shaped VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
candelabra, (around 1160).
The Thuringian capital, Erfurt, is also the oldest town in the Practical Information
region – its earliest historic records date from AD729, and in R St Severi-Kirche Road map D4. * 200,000. n
AD742 a bishopric was founded here. As an important trading Domberg. Tel (0361) 57 69 60. Benediktsplatz 1 (0361-66400).
_ Krämerbrückenfest (Jun),
Open Apr–Oct: 9am–6pm Mon–Sat,
post between east and west, the town grew quickly. Erfurt 1–6pm Sun; Nov–Mar: 10am–5pm Weinfest (Aug), Petersbergfest
University was founded in 1392; it became a stronghold for Mon–Sat, 1–5pm Sun. (Sep), Christmas market (Dec).
radical thought, and Martin Luther was one of its pupils. Until This five­nave Gothic hall­ ∑ erfurt­tourismus.de
the 17th century, Erfurt was famous for its red dyes extracted church, next to the cathedral, Transport
from the madder root; in the 18th century the town became dates from the late 13th and k Flughafenstraße 4 (0361-65
a horticultural centre, and to this day it hosts an impressive early 14th century. Inside it 60). £ Am Bahnhofsplatz. @
Bürgermeister-Wagner-Straße.
has the Gothic sarcophagus
garden show in one of Germany’s largest parks.
of St Severus, from about
1365, a huge font of 1467 Fischmarkt, surrounded by houses from various periods
and interesting Gothic altars. E EGA and Gartenbau
E Stadtmuseum E Angermuseum museum
P Fischmarkt Johannesstraße 169. Tel (0361) 655 56 Anger 18. Tel (0361) 55 45 615. Cyriaksburg, Gothaer Straße 38. Tel
This small market square, with 51. Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. (0361) 223 22 0. Open May–Oct:
its Neo­Gothic town hall Erfurt’s history museum is housed Barfüßerkirche: Barfüßerstraße 20. 10am–8pm daily; Nov–Apr: 10am–4pm
(1870–74), is surrounded by in a beautiful, late-Renaissance Tel (0361) 55 45 615. Open Mar–Nov: daily. Museum: Tel (0361) 22 39 90.
houses dating from various building called Zum Stockfisch 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. & Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. Closed Jan
periods, including the 16th­ (To the Dried Cod), built in 1607. The museum, housed in a & Feb. &
century Renaissance buildings Baroque building, has a On the hill around Erfurt’s ruined
Zum Breiten Herd (No. 13, P Anger collection of decorative and castle (around 1480) are the
To the Wide Hearth) and Zum Now pedestrianized, this is a sacred arts including grounds of the International
Roten Ochsen (No. 7, To the market square and Erfurt’s main paintings by Lucas Cranach Garden Show (Erfurter Garten­
Red Ox). On the streets off the shopping street, lined with attrac- the Elder, and 19th- and ausstellung) with exhibition halls,
market square are three Gothic tive 19th-century mansions and 20th-century German works. gardens, a butterfly house and a
Picturesque half-timbered houses, lining the Krämerbrücke churches: Michaeliskirche, commercial premises. There are One of its rooms is decorated museum of horticulture and
opposite the ruins of the late­ two Gothic churches: Kaufmanns­ with Expressionist murals beekeeping.
Exploring Erfurt Gloriosa, a huge bell 2.5 m (8 ft) Gothic university buildings, kirche and Reglerkirche, with a (1923–4) by Erich Heckel.
The town, on the banks of the in diameter, hangs in the centre the twin­nave llerheiligenkirche huge Gothic altar dating from The medieval section is in Environs
river Gera, is dominated by tower. Cast by Gerhard Wou in (late 13th to early 14th around 1470. At Nos. 37 and 38 the presbytery of the Molsdorf, 10 km (6 miles) to the
two hills. On the higher one, 1497, it is one of the largest bells century), and the ex­ there is the Dacherödensches Barfüßer kirche, a former southeast, has a 16th-century
Petersberg, stands a huge for­ in the world. The church interior Dominican Predigerkirche. Haus, a complex of beautiful Franciscan church that was Baroque palace set in landscaped
tress surrounding a Romanesque has well preserved Gothic Renaissance buildings. destroyed during World War II. parkland, with a museum.
church, while the lower Domberg decorations and rich furnishings. P Krämerbrücke
has two churches, the Dom St Particularly valuable are the 14th­ The “merchant bridge” which
Marien and the St Severi kirche. and 15th­century stained­glass spans the River Gera is one Erfurt City Centre
From the Domplatz, at the foot windows, the Gothic stalls (around of Erfurt’s most interesting 1 Dom St Marien
of the hill, a row of narrow streets 1370) and Wolfram, a Roman­ structures. The present stone 2 St Severi-Kirche AUGUSTINE R STRASSE
Augustinerkirche
leads to Fisch markt. If you cross bridge was built around 1325.
the river here, you will get to It is lined by 32 houses with 3 Fischmarkt
Erfurt’s old commercial district shops, dating mainly from the 4 Krämerbrücke JOHANNESSTRASSE
and its market square, the Anger. 17th to 19th centuries, which 5 Augustinerkirche G O TTHAR D T S T R ASSE Schottenkirche
replaced its 60 original medieval 6 Stadtmuseum MICHAELISSTR.
R Dom St Marien houses. On its eastern viaduct 7 Anger PERGAMENTERGASSE Kaisersaal
Domberg. Tel (0361) 646 12 65. stands Ägidienkirche, a 8 Angermuseum ALLERHEILIGENSTR. Zum Michaeliskirche WENIGE- FUTTERSTRASSE Stadt-
museum
MARKT
Open Apr–Oct: 9am–6pm Mon–Sat, 14th­century Gothic church. Breiten Herd KRÄMERBRÜCKE
1–6pm Sun; Nov–Mar: 10am–5pm MEIENBERGSTR.
Mon–Sat, 1–5pm Sun. & R Augustinerkloster– MARKTSTR. FISCHMARKT Kleine Aegidienkirche
The wide stairs leading from Augustinerkirche Zum Roten Rathaus Synagoge PILSE Kaufmannskirche
Ochsen
Domplatz to the main entrance Augustinerstraße 10. Tel (0361) 576 60 DOMPLATZ ANGER
of the cathedral provide a good 10. 8 10am–4pm daily. & Zitadelle St Severi-Kirche GROSSE ARCHE Neue SCHLÖSSERSTR.
Petersburg
view over the 14th­century This early Gothic church was Predigerkirche Mühle
Gothic presbytery, which is built for Augustinian monks at Barfüsserkirche Angermuseum
Dom
supported by a massive vaulted the end of the 13th century. St Marien Bartholo- BAHNHOFSTR.
substructure, known as the Particularly noteworthy are its MEISTER-ECKEHART-STR mäusturm Hauptbahnhof
Kavaten. The main body of the original Gothic stained­glass WALKSTROM Statthalterei 250m (275 yards)
Gera
cathedral dates from the 15th windows. In the neighbouring REGIERUNGSSTRASSE
century, but its huge towers monastery, the reconstructed
are the remains of an earlier Rich furnishings in the Gothic interior of cell where Martin Luther lived 0 metres 300 Gartenbaumuseum
MOLSDORF
Romanesque building. Maria Dom St Marien as a monk can be admired. 0 yards 300 Airport
3 km (2 miles)
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp494–5 and pp516–17 For additional map symbols see back flap
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