Attractions and Places To See around Witterda - Top 20

The cathedral square in Erfurt is a large market square with around 3.5 hectares, with intact or restored peripheral buildings. It was once the main market square and court square. On the square are the Minerva Fountain (1784) and the Erthal Obelisk erected in 1777 in honor of the Elector of Mainz. Since the 1920s there have been repeated plans to rebuild the northern cathedral square and thus reduce it to its historical size. They weren't realised. As part of the socialist urban development in all major cities of the GDR, a high-rise building with many other buildings, a monument and a huge staircase down to the cathedral square was to be built on the neighboring Petersberg. The change of power from Walter Ulbricht to Erich Honecker with a change in the focus of building activity in the GDR prevented the realization of the project. In the 1970s there were plans to build a cultural center on the square. In addition, the end of the Juri-Gagarin-Ring over the Domplatz and through the Andreasviertel was also planned in GDR times. There was resistance to this project from the Erfurt population as early as 1987, but it failed as a result of the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. At the end of the 1980s, the cathedral square was to become Ernst Thälmann-Platz with a large monument to dialectics depicting the history of the labor movement on the northwestern part of the square. An artist's model already existed, the eight flagpoles are still standing today (2019). The latter plans were also prevented by the political change in 1990. Source: Wikipedia

The town hall has a ballroom, which was designed by the historical painter Johann Peter Theodor Janssen and shows pictures of Erfurt's history and that of Martin Luther. The city's Golden Book and an honorary cup were on display in the ballroom (until 1920). The Golden Book was created in 1900 by the Berlin court goldsmiths Sy and Wagner on the occasion of a visit to Erfurt by Kaiser Wilhelm II. It was taken to Moscow as a trophy by the Red Army in 1945 and never returned to Erfurt.[2] The former Golden Book was replaced by “guest books” (in red cover). The richly painted staircases are freely accessible to the public and show works by Eduard Kaempffer from 1889/96. In addition to scenes from the Faust and Tannhäuser sagaes, it also depicts stories by Count von Gleichen. Since November 1876, there have been statues of Emperor Friedrich I (Barbarossa/Redbeard) and Emperor Wilhelm I (Barbablanca/Whitebeard) on the ballroom front of the town hall, on both sides of the town hall balcony, as symbols of the “reestablishment of the German Empire”. They were made from Kelheim limestone by Professor Georg Kugel. The two 2.80 meter high statues under ornate canopies are said to have fallen from their pedestals and shattered on July 4, 1945, shortly after the Red Army entered Erfurt.[3] However, in the Erfurt city archives there are minutes of a meeting of the Erfurt city council on June 6, 1950, which state: “The figures above the town hall entrance to the ballroom are to be removed.” A representative of Mayor Georg Boock also signed.[4] The former locations of the imperial statues remained empty for decades. As a donation from the Rotary Club of Erfurt, bronze figures of Boniface and Martin Luther were placed in their place in June and November 2017. Source: Wikipedia

the loving restoration of the houses on the fish market is fascinating

Central square between Domplatz and Anger

The impressive Domplatz is an approximately 3 hectare large and imposing market square, which is mainly dominated by the cathedral and the Severikirche.

The dominant structure of the fish market is the neo-Gothic town hall. It was built between 1869 and 1875 according to plans by August Thiede and Theodor Sommer on the same site as the old town hall. The historical wall and ceiling paintings inside the town hall are particularly impressive and interesting.

beautiful half-timbered houses also worth seeing at night

The Erfurt town hall is right at the fish market. The main building was built in the 1870s in a neo-Gothic style. and is a really nice building! Worth seeing.