Erfurt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Erfurt

Krämerbrücke from above

Flag	Coat of arms

Country

Subdivisions

53 districts

Elevation

158-430 m (−1,252.8 ft)

Population

(2022-12-31)

• Total

214,969

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

99001-99198

0361

Website

www.erfurt.de

Erfurt is the capital city of the German state of Thuringia. It has an area of 269.17 km² (103.9 sq mi). In December 2015 it had a population of 210,000 people. The River Gera runs through the city.

History
Industry
Education
Tourist attractions
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

History

People have lived in the area for about 100,000 years. The city was first mentioned in writing in 742, in a letter to the Pope from St Boniface. St Boniface established Christianity in the area. He set up a church in Erfurt in 742. Erfurt Cathedral was later built on the same site.

The city is in the centre of Germany. It was on the Via Regia, a medieval trade road network that stretched across Europe. It became an important trading centre in the Middle Ages. Erfurt was a member of the Hanseatic League, an alliance of trade associations and market towns. It was also famous for producing woad. Blue indigo dye is made from the woad plant.

Erfurt is on the Way of St. James pilgrams' path (Spanish: Camino de Santigo; German: Jakobsweg). In the Middle Ages a number of monasteries were set up in the city. Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, lived at St. Augustine's Monastery from 1505 until 1511. A famous philosopher and theologian called Meister Eckhart lived at the Dominican Monastery from about 1275 until 1311.

The city was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1802. From 1949 until 1990 Erfurt was in the communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

Industry

Modern day Erfurt is a transport hub for high speed trains and other German and European transport networks. This makes logistics one of its main industries. Other important industries are agriculture, horticulture and microelectronics.

The German Federal Labour Court (German:Bundesarbeitsgericht) is in Erfurt.

Education

The University of Erfurt was first set up in 1379. It closed in 1816, but was reopened in 1994. Martin Luther studied there from 1501 to 1505. It is also thought that Johannes Gutenberg, who developed the printing press, enrolled there in 1418. Erfurt also has a Fachhochschule, a University of Applied Sciences.

Tourist attractions

Many visitors come to see the historic medieval town centre. One of the main tourist attractions is the Krämerbrücke (the Merchants' Bridge). The bridge was built in its current form in 1472. It has buildings with shops and houses on it. People still live on it.

The city is well known for its festivals throughout the year. Two million people visit the Christmas markets each year.

Other important sites in the city include:

St. Augustine's Monastery, where Martin Luther lived from 1505 to 1511. It has been nominated as a World Heritage Site.
The Old Synagogue, which dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Europe and it has been nominated as a World Heritage Site.
Erfurt Cathedral and the Severikirche (St. Severus Church), which overlook Domplatz, the Cathedral square.
Petersberg Citadel, a 16th-century fortress on a hill overlooking the town centre. It is one of the largest and best preserved town fortresses in Europe.

Gallery

St. Augustine's Monastery
Old Synagogue, c.1100 - 1300.
Erfurt Cathedral and Severikirche
Michaelisstraße, Erfurt
Krämerbrücke
Krämerbrücke
River Gera in town centre
Entrance to Petersberg Citadel
Lookout point, Petersberg Citadel
Collegium Maius - rebuilt University building
Federal Labour Court, Erfurt
Erfurt Rathaus (Town hall)
Erfurt Christmas market

Images for kids

Erfurt, woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493
Erfurt in 1650
Kurmainzische Statthalterei, seat of the governors of Erfurt (at front)
Christina, Queen of Sweden, depicted on a 1645 Erfurt 10 ducat coin.
Die Napoleonshöhe im Steiger bei Erfurt, painted by Nikolaus Dornheim [de] in 1812. Inaugurated in March 1811 to celebrate Napoleon's birthday, this Greek-style temple with grotto, flowerbeds and fountain in the Stiegerwald was burned in November 1813 and completely destroyed by Erfurters and their besiegers in 1814.
Streetscape in the southern city extension (Gründerzeit style)
Housing projects in Bauhaus style from 1930
Hotel "Erfurter Hof", place of the first meeting of East and West German heads of government in 1970
Socialist-era street signs removed from around the city of Erfurt after 1990
Districts of Erfurt
Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann Halle
Architecture from the Gründerzeit in Brühlervorstadt district
Petersberg Citadel
Former factory building, now reused for services
Anger 1, a big department store in centre
Erfurt Hauptbahnhof, Erfurt's main railway station.
Light rail tram near Anger square
Stadtmuseum
Angermuseum
Naturkundemuseum
Deutsches Gartenbaumuseum
Museum für Thüringer Volkskunde
J.A. Topf & Söhne museum and holocaust memorial site
Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse, former Stasi prison
Schloss Molsdorf
All Saints' Church
St Lawrence's Church
St Martin's Church
Holy Cross Church
Schottenkirche
St Severus' Church
Ursulines Church
St Wigbert's Church
St Giles' Church
St Andrew's Church
St Augustine's Church
Merchants' Church
St Michael's Church
Dominican Church
Regulated St Augustine's Church
Ruins of the former Franciscan monastery's church
St Bartholomew's steeple
Hospital Church
Carthusian Church
St Nicholas' steeple
St Paul's steeple
St Peter's Church
Small Synagogue
New Synagogue
Krämerbrücke
Fischmarkt
Wenigemarkt
Post office at Anger
Angermuseum
Hirschgarten
Gründerzeit tenements in Johannesvorstadt district
Cubistic fountain in a Bauhaus housing complex
Art Deco Luther's Church
Entrance of the Thuringian parliament
Lobby of the university main building
GDR architecture in Johannesplatz district
Inner yard of the Federal Labour Court