Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [217]
Fire & Ambulance ( 112)
Habel & Hugendubel ( 484 484; Anger 62) Huge bookshop with English-language books.
Internet Café ( 262 3834; Ratskellerpassage, Fischmarkt 5; per min €0.05; 10am-8pm Mon-Fri, 11am-7pm Sat, 3-8pm Sun)
Police ( emergencies 110, nonemergencies 6620; Andreasstrasse 38)
Post office (Anger 66; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat)
ReiseBank ( 643 8361; Hauptbahnhof; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat) Currency exchange.
Thuringia Tourist Office ( 374 2388; Willy-Brandt-Platz 1; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) Opposite the Hauptbahnhof.
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Sights
MARIENDOM & SEVERIKIRCHE
Erfurt is at its most striking in the vast Domplatz, where the Mariendom and the Severikirche form a photogenic ensemble.
The Dom (St Mary’s Cathedral; 646 1265; Domplatz; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun May-Oct, 10-11.30am & 12.30pm-4pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun Nov-Apr) has origins as a simple chapel founded in 742 by St Boniface, but the Gothic pile you see today has the hallmarks of the 14th century. Check out the superb stained-glass windows (1370–1420) featuring biblical scenes; the Wolfram (1160), a bronze candelabrum in the shape of a man; the Gloriosa bell (1497); a Romanesque stucco Madonna; and the 14th-century choir stalls. The steps buttressing the cathedral make for a dramatic backdrop for the popular Domstufen-Festspiele (www.domstufen.de, in German), a classical music festival held every August.
The Severikirche ( 576 960; Domplatz; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun May-Oct, 10-11.30am & 12.30-4pm Mon-Sat, 2-4pm Sun Nov-Apr) is a five-aisled hall church (1280) that counts a stone Madonna (1345), a 15m-high baptismal font (1467), and the sarcophagus of St Severus among its most prized treasures.
ZITADELLE PETERSBERG
On the Petersberg hill northwest of Domplatz, this citadel ranks among Europe’s largest and best-preserved baroque fortresses. It sits above a honeycomb of tunnels, which can be explored on guided tours (adult/concession €8/4; 7pm Fri & Sat May-Oct) run by the tourist office. Also up here is the Romanesque Peterskirche, which is used as the Forum for Concrete Art ( 785 2298; admission free; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun).
AUGUSTINERKLOSTER
It’s Luther lore galore at the Augustinerkloster (Augustinian monastery; 576 600; Augustinerstrasse 10, enter on Comthurgasse; tours adult/concession €5/3; tours hourly 10am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am, 2pm & 3pm Sun Apr-Oct, to 4pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar). This is where the reformer lived from 1505 to 1511, and where he was ordained as a monk and read his first mass. You’re free to roam the grounds, visit the church, with its ethereal Gothic stained-glass windows, and attend the prayer services held by the resident Protestant sisters at 7am, noon and 6pm daily except Tuesday. Guided tours get you inside the monastery itself, including the cloister, a recreated Luther cell and an exhibit on the history of the Bible and Luther’s life in Erfurt. For information on spending the night, see Sleeping, Click here.
KRÄMERBRÜCKE
Even if it could not claim to be the only bridge north of the Alps lined with houses on both sides, the medieval Krämerbrücke (merchant bridge) would still be a most charming spot. You can watch chocolate makers, potters, jewellers and other artisans at work in their teensy studios or enjoy a coffee or glass of wine in a cafe. The 1325 stone bridge used to be bookended by two churches, of which only the Ägidienkirche remains. Climbing up its tower (admission €1.50; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun) is worth the cardio effort, and not only for shutterbugs.
ALTE SYNAGOGE
The Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue; 655 1608; http://alte-synagoge.erfurt.de; Waagegasse 8; admission adult/student under 27/child €5/1.50/1.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) in Erfurt is one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in Europe, with roots in the 12th century. After the pogrom of 1349, it was converted into a storehouse and, after later standing empty for decades, has now been restored as an exhibit space and museum. Since late 2009, a new exhibit documents