We came to Erfurt in September, 2003 and were greeted by a colorful and lively city. Atop a small hillock sit the 13th century Dom St. Marien and Severikirche, both of which look downonto the Domplatz and row of colorful houses (below). We expect the large open area is a bustling market in the mornings. The Dom St. Marien features a beautiful Gothic arch doorway, overpowered by the many spires above (right). Right next to this church is the Severikirche which had the most beautiful organ we had yet seen (below). If we understood the explanation (in German) correctly, the ornate housing was created in 1714 and is resplendent in its many angels and leafy decorations on the marble columns. The organ itself was updated in 1932. Unfortunately the picture was taken hand-held with a slow exposure so it is not as clear as we would like, but we didn’t feel we could adequately describe this piece of art, so we included the best photo we have. In the Fischmarket area, we found many interesting old buildings including the town hall (above, left) whose down spouts we found particularly unique. There is a man on the left side and a woman on the right (photo at right), each with a hose over their shoulder that directs the water from the upper roof into the down spouts.

Also on this square are the ornate houses shown at left. The photo unfortunately doe not do them justice as the amount of detail on each is simply amazing. they are truly architectural treasures. It was fortunate that Erfurt escaped the war with only slight damage. The result is that people today can enjoy the rich variety of architecture that otherwise would have been lost.

The other highlight of Erfurt is that it must have more Eis Salons (Ice Cream shops) per capita than any other German city! Yum!

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