From Nordhausen to Erfurt
History repeats itself. Sometimes, though, one thinks it's a shame that some events don't repeat themselves more often…
In 1184, a dispute arose between Archbishop Conrad I of Mainz and the Landgrave of Thuringia, Ludwig III. The issue was who should rule the city of Erfurt. Emperor Barbarossa sent his son, the then 19-year-old Henry VI, who would become Holy Roman Emperor in 1191, to Erfurt to mediate the conflict.
The morning railcar waits in Drei Annen Hohne for the departure to Nordhausen
On July 26, 1184, Henry conferred with a large assembly of dukes and bishops. The rotten floor of the second story of the assembly building was apparently unable to bear the weight of these dignitaries and suddenly collapsed. The force of the impact was so great that the floor of the ground floor below also collapsed. Most of those present fell into the well-filled latrine pit underneath. Those who were not crushed by beams or stones drowned or suffocated in the excrement filling the latrine pit. Contemporary sources speak of approximately 60 dead, including Count Gozmar III of Ziegenhain, Count Frederick I of Abenberg, Burgrave Frederick I of Kirchberg, Count Henry of Schwarzburg, Burgrave Burchard of Wartburg, and Beringer I of Meldingen. Henry himself and Bishop Conrad I of Wittelsbach were sitting in a bricked-up window niche in the stone outer wall at the time of the disaster and could be rescued by ladders. Landgrave Ludwig was also saved. The shocked young Henry left Erfurt immediately after the disaster. He died of malaria in Sicily in 1197 at the age of only 32.
While the railcar waits the first steam train arrives from Wernigerode to continue to Brocken
The event became known as the Erfurter Latrinensturz (Erfurt DeLatrination). For more than 600 years afterward, Erfurt was ruled by the Elector-Bishop of Mainz, a city that even today is half-day's journey away. Although the exact location of the fall is no longer entirely clear and therefore no hommage visit possible, a large part of Erfurt's medieval old town has survived the turmoil of time and is definitely worth a visit, especially if you're coming from the Harz Mountains, which are just a stone's throw away.
View from the driver-s seat of the railcar
At 10:04, the first railcar departs from Drei Annen Hohne towards Nordhausen. The 45 km journey takes the train almost two hours. A few passengers are already waiting for the ticket office in the snow-covered station to open promptly at 9:40. There, I manage to get an old-fashioned ticket made of brown cardboard.
Brief stop of the railcar at the abandoned station of Elend (Misery)
The price of €29 is probably based more on travel time than distance. In Germany, all regular train travelers have the Deutschlandticket (Germany Ticket). Since the revenue given to the individual companies from these cheap monthly passes, which are valid for all public transport throughout the country and also for the HSB network (except for the Brocken line from Schierke), is low, the prices for single tickets for other passengers have been disproportionately increased. This applies not only to the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway (HSB), but also to municipal transport companies and transport associations, such as in Nuremberg. Public transport companies that carry many tourists have an advantage. Since tourists usually don't have a Germany-wide ticket, they pay a high price and subsidize local public transport in Germany.
Stop on demand... the lonely shelter at Tiefenbachmühle
In the chaotic box where I keep old tickets, I also found tickets for journeys on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway. On February 16, 2001, a trip from Wernigerode to Nordhausen cost 17 DM. Unfortunately, the fare for the same journey on an older ticket from February 15, 1992, is no longer legible. The oldest tickets I have from the Harz Mountains are from April 1991. Back then, a 36 km trip from Gernrode to Stiege cost 4.80 DM. A ticket dated February 16, 1992, for the 28 km journey from Sorge to Wernigerode cost 3.60 DM. In 1994, a trip to climp up to the summit of the Brocken cost 24 DM from Drei Annen Hohne and 38 DM from Nordhausen. In 2000, the latter cost 49 DM, today €65.
A collection of tickets of different times since reunification
80% of the approximately 10 passengers in the railcar are undoubtedly railway enthusiasts. I manage to snag a seat in the first row, right behind the driver's cab. Although it might be disappointing to travel by railcar instead of steam train, it also has its advantages. You can look over the driver's shoulder as he works and have an unusual and excellent view of the track.
Stop at Eisfelder Thalmühle to wait for the oncoming steam train
The car is pleasantly warm. This also has its drawbacks, as it causes the windows to fog up, and you travel through the landscape in a kind of mist. These railcars have already had an eventful history. They were built in 1955 by Talbot for the Altena District Railway, which operated narrow-gauge lines in the area around Lüdenscheid. Passenger service there was discontinued as early as 1961, and the last freight service followed in 1967. Therefore, the railcars ended up on the picturesque Langeoog Island Railway. From there, they were sold to the HSB (Harz Mountain Railway) in the mid-1990s.
The steam ttrain from Nordhausen to Brocken meets the railcar in the opposite direction
At the stops in Elend and Benneckenstein stations, even a few regular passengers board, using this connection for a trip to Nordhausen. In Eisfelder Talmühle, the railcar has to wait for the oncoming steam train from Nordhausen to the Brocken mountain to pass. This train is also quite full.
Arrival of the railcar in Nordhausen Nord with the landmark watertower in rthe background
From Ilfeld onwards, the narrow-gauge line is also used by the Nordhausen tramway's railcars, which operate on battery power here. Despite the wintry conditions, we arrive at the Nordhausen Nord narrow-gauge station on time. Here, I have 40 minutes to make my way across the station forecourt to the correct platform in the main station building. You have to watch out in the station forecourt to avoid being run over by the numerous rail replacement buses. Apparently, there are no trains on the line towards the east and Sangerhausen. That shouldn't affect me.
The well renovated art-deco station of the HSB in Nordhausen
Not only the Harzquerbahn building with its Art Deco decorations, but also the Nordhausen station building has been beautifully renovated. Even the clock on the tower shows the correct time. With a bakery café, a pizzeria, and a newsagent, it's also well used. However, the bakery café is already closed at noon on Saturday, the saleswoman in the newsagent sits bored and without customer behind her counter, and at the pizzeria, I'm only allowed to buy coffee to go. They don't have a café license, the waiter tells me. Sometimes German bureaucracy produces strange results.
Rail replacement busses wait in front of the historic station of Nordhausen
In the waiting room, it turns out that not only is train service to Sangerhausen interrupted due to a signal box malfunction, but the 12:33 train to Erfurt is also canceled today due to a delay from a previous train. This means I have to wait another hour for the next one. It's worth looking for a café in the vicinity of the station.
The hall inside the station of Nordhausen
The station forecourt is deserted. Even the replacement buses have disappeared. Neither on the snow-covered square nor in the main street, lined with imposing and beautifully renovated 19th-century buildings, is a living soul in sight. I have no desire to walk with my luggage all the way to Nordhausen's old town, which rises a little further on a hill.
Bahnhofsstrasse in Nordhausen
Right by the train station used to be the Hotel Handelshof. I've stayed there several times since reunification. Nordhausen is a pleasant town; the old town, a field of rubble in the early days after reunification, has been beautifully renovated, and at the time the hotel had a good restaurant. Later, the restaurant became a pizzeria, which is still located in the same building. The hotel owner used to sit at the reception counter himself in the evenings and preferred to handle bookings by phone.
View from the Restaurant Charly's
The former Hotel Handelshof has now become the "TinySky Resort Nordhäuser Fürstenhof." The hotel's relaunch also includes a restaurant, which, fittingly for a hotel named Fürstenhof, is now called "Charly's." At least it's open on Saturday at lunchtime, and Charly is able to serve me a coffee. From the table by the window, I have a good view of the street life, where literally "nothing" is happening.
Steam engine 35 1097 on the turntable of the shed in Nordhausen, 2000
Nordhausen was connected to the railway network from Halle in 1866. In 1867, the railway line from Nordhausen westward towards Herzberg and Northeim was opened. In 1869, it gained another rail connection to Erfurt. The through line between Kassel and Halle was then operational in 1872. The station building is a true historical gem, dating from the early years of the railway between 1867 and 1869. There were also three railway depots. The old locomotive depot's engine shed has lost its turntable and is abandoned, but the more modern depot with two turntables is still used by a private railway operator. The Harzquerbahn depot, also with a turntable, of course is also still in use. Both depots still have impressive water towers.
35 1097 in the station of Nordhausen
More than 20 years ago, Nordhausen and the Nordhausen-Erfurt line were the site of two steam train events, which also utilized the depot. In addition to freight trains, a number of the scheduled passenger trains between Erfurt and Nordhausen were hauled by steam locomotives.
Signal post and view of goods yard in Nordhausen
When I returned to the platform, I got into conversation with a couple. They were traveling from Magdeburg to Erfurt. There's a direct connection via Sangerhausen that takes 2 hours and 25 minutes. Due to the signal malfunction, they had to change to the rail replacement bus mentionerd above in Sangerhausen. As they were about to board the bus in the station forecourt, the driver informed them that he he just had made his last run. Deutsche Bahn had only arranged the replacement bus service until 11:00 a.m., but the signal repairs weren't yet complete. When the couple finally arrived in Nordhausen, the next train to Erfurt turned out to be cancelled. They've now been traveling for four hours, but still haven't reached Erfurt.
The train to Erfurt has finally arrived
The departure time is approaching, and the train to Erfurt hasn't arrived yet. Due to another "delay from a previous journey," it's scheduled to arrive from Erfurt delayed in Nordhausen later and then return to Erfurt a quarter of an hour late. The line was reduced to a single track long ago. Because the trains traveling in both directions have to cross paths occasionally, every delay also affects trains in the opposite direction, which would otherwise be on time. The dismantling of the line was completed before the steam events took place in the year 2000.
These railcars were already in use in the year 2000, when one met a steam train in Greussen
There used to be freight traffic along this route. The headframe of the Glückauf mine still is visible from afar. Now, the connecting tracks have been demolished, as have the numerous branch lines that, until German reunification, diverged from almost every major station along the route. The mine is a museum. How the few remaining industrial plants manage to dispose of their mostly unnedcessary products is a mystery. Most of the other industrial facilities have been shut down and now stand as industrial ruins on the outskirts of the towns we pass through.
A steam train passes the Glückauf mine
On the train, a baby tries out its voice. It's not quite loud enough to shatter the windows, but shortly before arriving in Erfurt, an alarm goes off, even drowning out the baby's cry. Fortunately, the train continues to its final destination, Erfurt Central Station. The wailing of the alarm follows us as we leave the platform. While leaving I hear from the loudspeaker that the departure of the train back to Nordhausen is delayed due to a technical problem.
Steam engine 03 1010 entering the station of Sondershausen
Erfurt was one of the first cities in the East which I visited after German reunification. I haven't been back since, so I'm curious to see what's been done in the more than thirty years since then. The changes begin at the train station. It was modernized as part of the construction of the Erfurt-Nuremberg high-speed rail line. At least the historic station building has been preserved. I wonder what they did with the historic, richly decorated cast-iron pillars of the old platform canopy. The new station has a hall, but it only covers a small portion of the platform. Outside, the old platform roofs have been replaced with a bland new structure.
When steam engine 35 1097 waited for departure in 2000 the scenery was still dominated by the 100 year old platform roof
By German standards, Erfurt is a very old city. A settlement was first mentioned here at the ford across the Gera River as early as 742. In the 8th century, Archbishop Boniface of Mainz founded a diocese during the eastward expansion of German colonization. Erfurt got a royal palace under the Carolingians and Ottonians. In 805, Charlemagne designated it a border trading post. To secure the independence of the flourishing trading city from the Thuringian Landgraves (the later Wettin dynasty), the Electorate bishop of Mainz assumed the role of protector.
Law and order was still present in the station of Erfurt in 2000
Erfurt Hbf in 1990
While the ecclesiastical Archbishopric of Mainz was a vast, contiguous territory stretching from the Hunsrück region across the northern Odenwald and the Vogelsberg Mountains to Einbeck and the Saale River, encompassing important cities such as Worms, Speyer, Constance, Strasbourg, Augsburg, Chur, Würzburg, Eichstätt, Paderborn, and Hildesheim, the Electorate of Mainz was highly fragmented, encompassing not only the area surrounding Mainz but also isolated, far-flung territories like the State of Erfurt.
The new station hall in Erfurt Hbf
In the Middle Ages, Erfurt was a staging post on the important Brabant trade route, which ran from Leipzig through Cologne into the Duchy of Brabant and on to Antwerp. With approximately 20,000 inhabitants, the city was a major medieval metropolis in the 14th and 15th centuries, surpassed in size only by Cologne, Nuremberg, and Magdeburg. As early as 1379, the city was the first in the Holy Roman Empire to be granted the charter to establish a university. The university was founded in 1392. One of its most famous graduates was Martin Luther, who studied here from 1501 to 1505.
Catharina of Alexandria in St. Severi
It goes without saying that a city ruled by a bishop is full of churches. The most striking, of course, is Cathedral Hill. A long flight of stairs leads up to the flat top with the cathedral on the left and St. Severus Church on the right. Inside, a sandstone statue depicts Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of scholars and philosophers. In the period, it was customary for saints to hold the instruments used for their execution. Here, these are a sword and a chariot wheel. It is a so-called breaking wheel, used for torture and execution. When the Roman emperor condemned her to death by breaking on the wheel, the wheel broke. The sword was then used instead. It worked…. John the Baptist, on the opposite column, holds a lamb. A lamb usually is not useful as means of torture or murder. It is meant to represent Jesus as the Lamb of God.
The enormous Predigerkirche in Erfurt
The enormous nave of the Predigerkirche (Preacher's Church) was extended from the chancel, originally built in 1272, to its current length by 1445. Its unified style represents a pinnacle of the architecture of the mendicant order. A particularly noteworthy feature is the connection of the unassuming tower to the tall nave by a bridge.
Even as a ruin the church of the Barfüßerorden order is impressive
Of the equally enormous church of the Barfüßerordens (Franciscan Order), only ruins remain after a bombing raid. The roofless nave now serves as an event space. Of the Augustinian monastery only fragments survive. Their extent still hints at the importance and wealth of these monasteries at the time of their founding.
The courtyard of St. Michael's Church
Walking through the nave of St. Michael's Church, you enter a charming courtyard with a wooden balcony. The church's foundation dates back to the Romanesque period. Since 1379, it has served as the church of the University of Erfurt. It was the first place where Martin Luther preached.
The old synagoge
However, it wasn't the churches of Erfurt that were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but rather the Jewish remains. The 11th-century synagogue is one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Europe. After the pogrom of 1349, it was used first as a warehouse and then as a tavern, thus escaping Nazi targets during World War II. The synagogue was connected to the mikveh, a Jewish bathhouse, by an alleyway. After the pogrom, Jews returned to Erfurt starting in 1354, and the mikveh continued to be used until 1453, when the city expelled the Jews once again.
.... and in 1990
The mikveh's bathing pool was filled in, and the space was used as a cellar. The cellar's former significance wasn't discovered until 2007. Prior to that, in 1998, excavations unearthed another spectacular find: a hoard containing 3,141 French silver coins, 14 silver ingots, silverware, and jewelry. It can be assumed that the owners hid the treasure before fleeing and had neither the opportunity to retrieve it nor to pass on the location of the hiding place to any descendants surviving.
Erfurt's most famous monument is the medieval Merchants' Bridge (Krämerbrücke). Along with the Rialto Bridge in Venice and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, it is one of the few remaining medieval bridges lined with houses on both sides. Even one of the two churches that once covered the entrances at either end still stands. However, since it isn't in Italy, it remains in the shadow of its more famous counterparts. Yet it is longer, older (built in 1325), and also the only one that is still actually inhabited. And although every tourist visiting Erfurt crosses the bridge, unlike its sisters, you don't need to feel claustrophobic.
The renovated old quarters of Erfurt ....
... in 1990 coal was the general way of heating
Around Glockengasse, entire streets with their original, crooked medieval houses have been preserved. Most have been lovingly restored. They are now in a state of perfection they likely never had during their centuries-long history.
Present and previous state of old Erfurt
No investor has yet been found for the Kornhofspeicher, an imposing granary, built between 1465 and 1473 on the site of a Jewish cemetery. It has a pleasantly authentic, neglected feel and still serves as a storage facility.
The Kornhofspeicher
As with other important medieval German cities like Nuremberg, the Thirty Years' War heralded Erfurt's decline. The occupation by the Swedes from 1632 to 1635 and from 1637 to 1650 did not help. Even the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 did not bring peace; instead, years of disputes over sovereignty ensued.
The Erfurt city hall
In German cities, the medieval Roland statue symbolizes civic rights, freedom, and civic autonomy. The knight with his sword stands before town halls, representing the city's independence from its sovereign. In Erfurt, this would certainly not have pleased the bishop, the ruler. Therefore, the Roland statue in front of Erfurt's town hall is disguised as a Roman soldier.
Roland disguised as a Roman legionary, in front of the city hall
Despite the city's striving for independence, the Electorate of Mainz ruled here until 1802. After the city was once again forced under the rule of the Bishop of Mainz following the Thirty Years' War, a massive fortress was built on Petersberg Hill next to Cathedral Hill. When Erfurt came under French control during the Napoleonic Wars, the fortress, which had fallen into disrepair due to the Mainz bishop's financial difficulties, was repaired and reinforced. In 1813, after the French defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, they were forced to retreat, and the citadel, along with Erfurt, came under Prussian rule. The Prussians expanded the fortress into one of the most modern fortifications in Central Europe.
The access port to the Petersberg fortress
It's bitterly cold on the ramparts. Guided tours are offered at the visitor center. One of them leads into the passages underneath the ramparts. These listening tunnels were used to detect suspicious noises that might indicate the activity of enemy miners attempting to dig underground tunnels beneath the walls and then bring them down with explosives. Here, the soldiers had to wait a long time for hearing a sound - the fortress was never seriously besieged.
The ramparts of the Petersberg fortress
In the 19th century, some parts of the city underwent a gradual modernization. Commercial districts with imposing Art Nouveau buildings emerged. The Centrum department store was built on the central Anger square, next to the enormous main post office building. Right next door, the building at Anger 24, with its ornamentation, is modeled on medieval castles. The castle as a temple of consumption. The commercial building at Anger 33, built in 1900, is called the Bismarck House. When it was built, the Iron Chancellor had already been in his coffin for two years. His statue still adorns the facade today.
The art-deco buildings around the Anger and the statue of Bismarck in front of the Bisnarck building
During the GDR era, there was neither the will nor the necessary money or materials to preserve and renovate historic city centers. Although Erfurt wasn't significantly destroyed in World War II, parts of the old town disappeared. For the GDR leadership, it was more important to build housing as quickly and cheaply as possible. Several old town districts were completely demolished. Still, often, it took many years before any new construction took place. Other buildings eventually collapsed due to lack of maintenance. After reunification, some historic buildings were in such poor condition that they were completely demolished and rebuilt in the same style, incorporating some preserved characteristic elements.
The art-deco Centrum department store in 1990
State of the streets in Erfurt in 1990
On Cathedral Square, there's a kiosk that feels like stepping back in time. The building and its furnishings could have been created back then. Nor has the selection of beer, schnitzel, sausages, coffee, and cake changed much since. Next to the entrance sits the owner, who points out to everyone entering to beware of the tiny step up to the tables. Then he turns back to the stack of paper invoices he has to process. The sight of the wintry piles of chairs stacked outside the large windows makes the visitor even more aware of how cold it is. But there is no better view across Cathedral Square to the Petersberg Citadel and Cathedral Hill than from here. In the square, a few forlorn greengrocers serve their frozen customers in the cold.
Fruit stands on the Domplatz
Many streets in Erfurt still have their old cobblestones. For many post-war city administrations, the stones, which hindered modern traffic, were a thorn in their side. For East Germany, however, the stones were a welcome source of income. They were in high demand in the West and could be sold for a good price. In response, the fenced in citizens of the GDR came up with a rhyme: „Oh wär ich doch ein Pflasterstein, dann würd’ ich schon im Westen sein“ (Oh, if only I were a cobblestone, then I'd already be in the West.)
Haus zum Sonneborn was in such a bad state at the end of the DDR time that it was demolished and replace by a similar new building
Sources:
View from cathedral hill across Erfurt and the Predigerchurch now and in 1990
The shopping street in 1990
The restaurant Feuerkugel still exists, the building has changed
A café in 1990
For the first time the people of Erfurt were able to travel in 1990
