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Cathedral
Erfurt

Malerische Kulisse - die Krämerbrücke
Erfurt

Augustinian Monastery
Erfurt

cloister of the Augustian Monastery
Erfurt

Library of the Augustinian Monastery
Erfurt

church service in the Augustinian Church
Erfurt

Erfurt

Martin Luther and Erfurt

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, once declared that Erfurt was “in the ideal location, the perfect place for a city”.

Erfurt invites you to a rendezvous in the heart of Germany.

Now the regional capital of Thuringia, it was founded by Boniface in 742 AD and has one of the largest, listed medieval town centres in Germany.

Visitors encounter a delightful combination of fine Patrician town houses and lovingly reconstructed half-timbered buildings as well as the abbeys and churches for which the city became known as the “Rome of Thuringia”. Its skyline is dominated by the towering spires of St. Mary’s Cathedral and the Church of St. Severus on Cathedral Hill. “Gloriosa”, the massive cathedral bell, is more than 500 years old and the biggest free-swinging bell in the world.

Recommended Event

Ökumenische Martinsfeier

10.11.2013 - 18:00

Am Vorabend des Martinstages, am 10. November, findet die traditionelle Martinsfeier statt.

Luther Sites

Augustinian monastery in Erfurt

Cloister in the Augustinian Monastry
_{Photo: Lutz Edelhoff}

Erfurt is the spiritual home of Martin Luther. From 1501 to 1505, he studied at the city's university, which enjoyed great prestige at the time. Luther initially devoted himself to the seven liberal arts, before later turning his attention to theology and – at the request of his father – law.

The life of the young student altered dramatically after he survived a perilous thunderstorm. On 17th July 1505, Luther entered the Erfurt Monastery for Augustinian hermits, an order that was renowned for its erudition. Until autumn 1511, his life as a monk was characterised by a strict and precisely timetabled regime of spiritual and religious rituals, as well as academic study within the order. Luther was ordained as a priest in 1507, reading his first Mass on 2 May that year in the Augustinian church.

Places of interest

Useful Addresses and Contacts

The medieval structure of the charming old town, with its atmospheric winding lanes and little squares, is largely preserved and it is an important example of German town architecture. Lovingly restored buildings form a picturesque backdrop and create an idyllic atmosphere.