The Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt really takes the prize as one of the best Gothic backdrops for a Christmas market:
A large square, the Domplatz, bordered by 17th century colourful timbered houses, overlooked by the monumental St. Mary’s cathedral and the equally old and commanding three-spired St. Severus, silent spectators over the Thuringian capital since around the 12-13th centuries.
Under the towering austerity of the two medieval churches, way down the long stairway (70 steps), the secular Christmas cheer unfolds triumphantly in a splash of colours and lights. And hearty bean soup*.
When the pretty colours of the town fade into the night, which comes early at this time of year, the Christmas fair comes to life with lights and sounds. Every night there’s live music on the stage, the Ferris wheel and the carousel light up, spin and twirl. The wooden huts are even more appealing with all their lights and inviting ornaments, not to mention the smells that rise from ovens, grills, kilns and steaming cauldrons.
One of the most popular (and one of the best) sausage to be found at markets and fairs all over Germany (all year round) is the Thuringer Bratwurst, with a long standing tradition in the area. One of its oldest surviving recipes (early 17th century) is kept as a historic document in the State Archives in Weimar, a hop, skip and a jump away from Erfurt.
*Another local culinary tradition is the bean soup from the prized local Puffbohnen, a type of broad beans, known in various languages as faba or fava.
The broad beans were a staple food in the area ever since the Middle Ages, and as the anecdote goes, the Erfurters tipped their hat whenever they passed a bean field, as a sign of appreciation, and always have a handful of beans in their pockets. They are so popular that they can even be found as fluffy souvenirs, and there’s a little Christmas market named after them in the little Wenigemarkt.
And since we’re here, next to the tower of the Ägidienkirche, how about we go up to see the views?
From here you can see in the foreground Krämerbrücke, the merchants’ bridge, Europe’s longest inhabited closed bridge. While strolling on the narrow cobblestone alley (used to be even narrower), you can’t even tell it’s a bridge, unless you step outside, next to the Gera river, to see it in its splendour. There are 32 houses on this historical landmark, many of which are inhabited (the upper floors), while the ground floors have charming little shops and a cafe or two. Usually swarming with tourists, it’s Erfurt’s most famous attraction.
While the Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt is the main attraction, the city has several other Christmas market spots, which you can discover during your strolls in the picturesque Altstadt, with so many hidden riches (featured in the gallery below). About those, in a next post about Erfurt.
You can check out more photos in the gallery below.
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