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Erfurt has so much to offer. We can't cover everything in our tourist guide and we are not able to send out brochures and answer detailed questions with respect to dates of events, prices etc. If you plan to travel to Thuringia and need professional advise, please use the following contact.
Contact Information:
Tourismus Gesellschaft mbH
Benediktplatz 1
99084 Erfurt
Fax 011 49 361 66 40 290
E-mail: service@erfurt-tourist-info.de
Erfurt is the capital of the "Free State of Thuringia" with a population of about 210,000. It should be on your travel itinerary and you should set aside enough time for your visit. I hope you do not want to cover all of Europe in seven days!!!
There are many things to see and do in Erfurt, such as visit the old part of town, the city hall, the cathedral or sign up for one of the guided tours. My first visit to Erfurt was in January, 2004, and I was very impressed with the number of activities which were going on at that time of year, such as musicals, concerts, theater performances, etc.
|  Just one example of entertainment |
Even walking around downtown was still a pleasure. So many things to see, from narrow streets dating back to the Middle Ages, for example "Kirchgasse" (Church Lane), to modern stores and boutiques that are often located in old, half-timbered houses, and always a restaurant, a café or stores to warm up and have a rest.
Fortunately, parking was not a problem. I found underground parking very close to the town center at the "Domplatz" (Cathedral Square).
 Sunshine, but still freezing temperatures at the Cathedral Square ("Domplatz")  Not too much business on this winter day |
Almost everything was offered: from clothing to local meat products, cheese, baked goods, vegetables and fruits, etc.
Since I didn't have a good breakfast that morning, I bought a "Thuringian Bratwurst" in a roll at one of the stands. (I never take mustard, because I believe a good sausage does not need a taste improver.)
Happy to have something hot to eat, I kept walking towards downtown. Naturally, I did not travel to Erfurt to eat a sausage, I wanted to see the historical town to get my first impressions of this famous medieval town and cultural center.
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When we visited Erfurt again it was summer 2005. Elizabeth, my wife wanted to see downtown after I had told her so much about it.
I believe she could have spend the whole day just in browsing through the unique stores and buying some souvenirs.
we had a light Italian meal in one of the best restaurants in downtown. We were sitting outside and enjoyed the company of some other visitors.
We missed to participate in guided tours of the Roman Catholic Cathedral "Mariendom" (see above on the left of the picture) with its mighty bell, called "Gloriosa," and of St. Severi Church (church above on the right). |  Summer is definitely nicer to explore downtown Erfurt than winter |
We knew that we should stay a few nights in Erfurt, but so far we did not get any income from our activities to promote tourism to Thuringia - so we had to cut down spending.
We planned to come back in 2006 what we did.
 If you like hot dogs, try one of these sausages and compare
As in many European towns and cities, parts of downtown Erfurt are mainly reserved for pedestrians and public transportation. I believe this is a mandatory measure to revitalize cities and to attract business.
On my way I visited the Tourism Information Center where I received extensive information about this well-preserved medieval town and the ongoing activities.
Please do stop in for helpful information that is also available in English. Consider buying an "Erfurt Card" or an "Erfurt Family Card" which gives you many benefits.
Take a city tour with the tramway/streetcar. During my visit, I was interested in doing that, but unfortunately it was not available at that time .I was very disappointed! Somebody responsible for tourism should look into that and correct the problem!
|  Occasionally a newer building can be seen |
 So much to see |
As the streetcar tour was not available, I proceeded to walk - not one of my favorite activities. However, I saw so many intriguing shops, such as special toy stores with replica cars, as well as many small bookstores, all of which I would have missed, if I had not been forced to stroll through downtown.
I learned that this citadel is the only well-preserved baroque fortress in central Europe.
During one of our next visits to Erfurt, we hopefully can stay in this town and set aside enough time to visit to participate in a guided torchlight tour through this historical attraction.
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Erfurt attracted many now famous people through their live. Just to mention a few Martin Luther, Johann Sebastion Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. One of our tsks is to follow a little bit the footsteps of those people without repeating things which are already posted on the Internet. We also do not have the capabilities to perform extensive research. For that reason we install links to selected sites and limit ourselves to what we can do.
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