Erfurt is the capital and largest city of Thuringia in central Germany, with around 215,000 people. First mentioned in 742, it developed into an important medieval trading and university city at the crossroads of major European routes. Much of the historic centre survived the Second World War, leaving one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval old towns. Its best-known landmark is the Krämerbrücke, a 14th-century bridge lined with houses and shops and regarded as the longest continuously inhabited bridge in Europe. Other major sights include Erfurt Cathedral, St Severus Church, the Petersberg Citadel and the Old Synagogue, part of Erfurt’s UNESCO-listed medieval Jewish heritage. Martin Luther studied at the University of Erfurt and later lived as a monk in the Augustinian Monastery. Erfurt also has an interesting place in East German heavy metal history: Macbeth formed here in 1985 and became one of the most important metal bands in the GDR, before authorities banned the group from performing following disturbances at a 1986 concert in the city.

PUBS

Back to Germany.