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erfurt.life

An independent historical archive · Erfurt, Germany

One city.
Many centuries.

A bridge lined with houses. A monastery. A prison. Erfurt’s history lives in its streets—and in the lives of the people who shaped them.

Follow the story
Panoramic view across Erfurt’s Domplatz at sunset, with the cathedral and St Severus Church to the left.
Domplatz · Cathedral SquareErfurt, Thuringia

A chronological journey

The layers of a city

From the first written record
to the city we know today.

  1. 74201

    A city enters the record

    Erfurt’s first recorded mention, in a letter associated with Saint Boniface in 742, opens a journey through the city’s religious, architectural, and civic history.

    Chapter themes
    • Saint Boniface
    • Early settlement
    • Foundation
    Read the full chapter: Beginnings
  2. Middle Ages02

    Trade, faith, and a bridge of houses

    Woad, a plant used to produce blue dye, helped shape Erfurt’s trading life. The Krämerbrücke—the Merchants’ Bridge—and the Old Synagogue offer distinct perspectives on the medieval city and its Jewish heritage.

    Chapter themes
    • Woad trade
    • Krämerbrücke
    • Jewish life
    Read the full chapter: Medieval city
  3. 16th century03

    Belief in a time of change

    Martin Luther’s formative years at the Augustinerkloster, the Augustinian Monastery, connect Erfurt to the history of the Reformation. This chapter follows religion through the places and institutions that shaped it.

    Chapter themes
    • Martin Luther
    • Augustinian Monastery
    • Religious life
    Read the full chapter: Reformation
  4. 18th–19th centuries04

    A changing city, a changing world

    The Napoleonic Congress of Erfurt, Prussian rule, and industrial development mark successive changes in the city’s political and everyday life.

    Chapter themes
    • Napoleonic era
    • Prussian rule
    • Industry
    Read the full chapter: Transformation
  5. 1914–194505

    Confronting the darkest chapters

    The First World War and the Nazi regime demand careful, factual examination. Erfurt’s history includes persecution, forced labour, and Topf & Söhne, the company that built crematoria ovens for Auschwitz.

    Chapter themes
    • World War I
    • National Socialism
    • Topf & Söhne
    Read the full chapter: War & dictatorship
  6. 1945–198906

    Life under the surveillance state

    From Soviet occupation to the German Democratic Republic (GDR), this chapter examines political control, expropriation, and the Stasi remand prison in Andreasstraße.

    Chapter themes
    • Soviet occupation
    • GDR
    • Andreasstraße prison
    Read the full chapter: GDR & Stasi
  7. 1989–today07

    Revolution, renewal, and the present

    The Peaceful Revolution and the occupation of the Stasi headquarters in 1989 form a turning point. The story continues through the changes that followed and into the city of today.

    Chapter themes
    • Peaceful Revolution
    • 1989
    • Contemporary city
    Read the full chapter: Modern Erfurt

Landscape & belonging

Beyond the city streets

The green heart

Steigerwald

Erfurt’s city forest brings its history into conversation with the landscape. Follow its paths into a story of woodland habitats, shared resources and learning close to home.

Explore Steigerwald

A wider perspective

Thuringia

Place Erfurt within a wider cultural landscape, from historic courts and changing borders to the creation of Thuringia in 1920 and its return as a federal state in 1990.

Explore Thuringia