Erfurt

Erfurt has one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in all Germany, with a beautiful mixture of rich old patrician houses and lovingly restored half-timbered buildings. Those structures are festively decorated in the Christmas season while the city’s most famous landmarks, including the magnificent structures of St. Mary's Cathedral and the church of St. Severi, are bathed in warm light.

Surrounded by the buildings of the historic old town, the Cathedral Square provides a magical atmosphere at Christmas time and is an ideal place for the annual Christmas Fair with a tradition of more than 150 years. Christmas melodies fill the air, together with the enticing scent of pepper cake and sweets. Visitors will find all kinds of rides and entertainment, plus choirs, orchestras and story-tellers. The square is beautifully decorated with a huge, candlelit Christmas tree and a large creche scene with 14 hand-carved, nearly life-sized wooden figures.

In more than 200 wooden booths stretching from Cathedral Square to Fischmarkt and the Anger shopping center, merchants and craftsmen sell everything associated with the traditional Christmas experience, including a wide range of Thuringian handicrafts from Christmas tree decorations to blue print textiles and a rich choice of ceramics and pottery. A quaint little attraction that’s enjoyed by little ones and their parents alike is the Christmas Market Express road train, transporting passengers through the city center every weekend during Advent.

Erfurt became a pilgrimage destination of sorts with the reunification of Germany. Thousands of Americans poured into this former East German city to see where Martin Luther studied, to bow heads where he prayed, to walk the same medieval streets, and even to sleep where he slept.

Luther came to the University of Erfurt as a student in 1501, served as a monk in the Augustinian Monastery starting in 1505 and was ordained as a priest in the St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1511. At almost every turn, there’s a reminder of the man who launched the Reformation. But there is far more to this city than Luther.

The compact Altstadt makes for easy exploration of its many neighboring historic sights. The Domberg (Cathedral Hill) thrusts impressive twin spires above the city’s rooftops. The hike up the 70 steps from the Domplatz is worth it to see the treasures of the 14th century St. Mary’s Cathedral and the 13th century St. Severus.

The Krämerbrücke (Merchant's Bridge), built in 1325, is a fascinating work of medieval secular architecture. It is completely covered by houses on both sides. The original 62 narrow houses on the bridge have over time been amalgamated to form the present 32 houses, and it is recognized as the longest bridge of its kind in Europe.

The Augustinerkloster (Augustinian Monastery), dating back to 1277, houses an exhibition that shows the life and work of its resident of six years, Martin Luther. Also not to be missed is the Petersberg Citadel, one of the few nearly completely preserved Baroque Citadels in Europe.