You only see what you know (Goethe)
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 German mathematician Adam Ries went to Erfurt and ran a mathematics school there. At the ‘House to the black bugle’ (Haus zum Schwarzen Horn) two of his mathematic 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.
At the shop ‘Erfurter Blau‘ (Erfurt Blue) I learned more about the history of the trade in Dyer’s Woad. The prosperity of Erfurt is largely owing to the fact that this city was a big trading place for woad also known as Isatis tinctoria.
