You only see what you know (Goethe)
The coat of arms of Erfurt seen at the balcony of the Angerermuseum. It shows a silver wheel with six spokes on a red background. The similarity to the Wheel of Mainz (Mainzer Rad) reminds of the fact that Erfurt was part of the Electorate of Mainz until 1802.
This church in Neuhaus am Rennweg (Stadtkirche in Neuhaus am Rennweg) is considered as one of the largest wooden churches in the German state of Thuringia. The edifice was built in the style of neo-Gothic in 1892. Outside the church is slate-tiled which is typical for this part of Germany.
The Kaisersaal (Emperor’s Hall) in Erfurt forms a venue for conferences and cultural events. Its name originates from Emperor Napoleon I and Tsar Alexander I, who visited theatre performances in this building during the Congress of Erfurt (1808).
I joined a Christmas tree decorating workshop at the Farbglashütte Lauscha – ELIAS Glashütte. At this glassworks in Lauscha, I learned about a US tradition of hiding a green Christmas pickle in the tree. This tradition is pretty unknown in Germany. Instead, the glassworks sell numerous pickles to the States.
There are telling street name signs in Erfurt: Streets with red signs are located inside the former city walls, blue ones are outside. The Juri-Gagarin-Ring, named after a sucessful Russian cosmonaut, follows the route of the demolished city wall to a great extent.
The house Zum Breiten Herd (to the wide stoven) in one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Erfurt. It is located at the former fish market (Fischmarkt) of the city. In the five fields below the first row of windows you can spot depictions of the five senses.
In 1518, the German mathematician Adam Ries travelled to Erfurt and established a mathematics school there. At the Haus zum Schwarzen Horn (House to the Black Bugle), two of his mathematical books were published by printer Mathes Maler.
Smithery at the Johannes Lang House (Johannes-Lang-Haus), named after an important Protestant reformer and companion of Martin Luther. Today the building houses a venue for events and conferences.
A traditional Thuringian dish are beef-rouladen served with red cabbage, Thuringian dumblings, and some gravy for pouring over the meat. The Thuringian dumblings (Thüringer Klöße) are made of potatoes generally filled with croutons.
Next to the famous bridge with 32 inhabited houses (Krämerbrücke) and not far away from the Old Synagogue (11th century), you can find a mikveh (Mikwe) dating back to the 13th century. The pic above shows the modern museum building covering the old mikveh.
Impression from the ‘Danetzare’ folk festival in Erfurt. The pic was taken at the parade of all participating groups through the streets of the city.
