Erfurt is a college town located in the Cultural Heart of Germany, Erfurt is the capital city of the state of Thuringia, which

The capital city of Thuringia, Erfurt is an ancient university town, and has a rich history dating back over 1,200 years. The capital city of the state is Erfurt, Luther’s university town, and Germanys least-appreciated capital thanks to the marriage between historic beauty and the vitality of its universities. Thuringia was a part of the former GDR East Germany between 1949 and 1990. Erfurt is a regional capital in Germanys Thuringia state, located in the heartland of the country, which was previously part of East Germanys GDR.

Centre of German history and culture

Thuringia is an ideal location for exploring German history and culture. A mostly mountainous, forested region, Thuringia is also known for its quartet of gorgeous old towns, as well as Wartburg Castle -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former retreat for Martin Luther, which is considered one of the most important castles in Germany. The towns and cities of Thuringia are worth visiting with their mix of history and tradition, culture, and recreational activities, the modern and classic.

Other cities of Thuringia are not to be missed either, with some, such as Frankfurt, having excellent Old Towns. Several of Thuringia’s more significant cities, including Erfurt, the largest and state capital, are located on a straight-line running east-west, while most of the rest of Thuringia is almost devoid of large population centres.

In cities, cultural sites are connected by dedicated walking routes, with Thuringia’s major destinations within a one-hour driving distance of one another. A diverse landscape, fabulous abundance of castles and palaces, a memorable variety of cultures and architecture, and plenty of interesting things to do that is what Thuringia’s vacation destinations are all about. Home to internationally famous museums and art collections, the castles, and palaces in Thuringia double up as hotels, restaurants, and wedding destinations.

A variety of castles across Thuringia

Evidence of Thuringia s turbulent history is found in the 60+ palaces and castles across Thuringia, a legacy from the many rulers, princes, and dukes. Do not miss any of the historical celebrations at the castles across Thuringia, including horse races and jousts. If you are visiting Erfurt in June, keep an eye out for the Kramerbruckenfest, a medieval-themed festival taking place at and around Kramerbrucke, or the merchants bridge, featuring food stands and entertainment.

The Erfurt Museum of Natural History (Naturkundemuseum Erfurt) is also well worth visiting. The Angermuseum, the first public museum in the city, was founded in 1886, and is housed in an historic building that is famous for containing the oldest public weighing machine in Erfurt. Although the Citadel is comparatively small, it is well worth visiting due to Germanys horticultural museum (Deutsches Gartenbaumuseum), which has an interesting collection of displays and exhibitions related to the strong ties of the nation with gardens throughout centuries.

A former free medieval imperial town visited by kings and emperors, Jena is nowadays bypassed by tourists making the pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity in Weimar, though the absence of visitors only enhances the mood of its compact Altstadt. Together with its neighbouring cities Erfurt and Weimar, Jena forms a central metropolitan region in Thuringia, home to around 500,000 residents, with the town itself having 110,000. Setting aside whether or not its authors visited Weimar or Erfurt, 25km to the east, Gotha remains a fine, though unspectacular, little city, its appearance having been gilt-edged during the eighteenth century as a courtly seat for the House of Saxe-Coburg, the dynasty best known as the House of Windsor--the Saxe-Coburg house seized on the mood of the community in wartime Germany, rebranding itself in 1917.

Its compact Altstadt is best appreciated at walking speed - and as Eisenach is on every coach-tour route through flyweight Thuringia, there is no choice. Anyone with a scientific bent will appreciate the JENA Museum in Jena, and nightlife is better only at Thuringia’s Erfurt.

Erfurt – the bishop’s seat

Erfurt is also a wonderful city to explore by walking around, and for something interesting to do with your family, take one of the regularly scheduled free walking tours to explore the numerous attractions found around the Old Town (Altstadt) in the town. Other highlights include the Luther Stone, a memorial marking where Martin Luther pledged to become a monk after being saved from death in a storm; and the Luther Trail, connecting Erfurt to thirty other sites throughout Thuringia.

St. Marys Cathedral, founded by St. Boniface, built the church at the spot in 742 as part of his plans to create a bishop’s seat in Erfurt. To find out something about the Jewish community who lived in Erfurt during the Middle Ages, we visited the old synagogue, which is hidden away on a tiny side street. Just 10km south-west of Erfurt, Moate Palace & Park (Schloss Molsdorf) is one of Thuringia’s finest Rococo palaces.