The different faces of Erfurt

Since Luther's day, the eastern German town of Erfurt has been not only an affluent town along a trading route but also the place in Europe for higher education and theological studies. Famours also for exporting its rare blue dye, Erfurt was a popular destination for students and an economic center. Today, the Universtiy of Erfurt, closed in 1817 and reopened in 1994, draws many young people and students from around Europe. Not only is the town rich in history, today it is a vibrant European city.

In the morning: Evangelische Augustinerkloster zu Erfurt
Our tour began in the Augustinerkloster (Augustinian monastery). After graduating from the University of Erfurt, Luther became a monk here. He even said his first Mass here.

Next to the monastery is the Church of St. Augustine, dating back to 1276. The original church windows are still intact and date from the 14th century (they were saved from the destruction that the chapel suffered during an English bombing raid during World War II). The church went through a major renovation, completed in 1993, that repaired the damage from the war. The windows are red and feature distinct circular designs that tell the story of St. Augustine.

Another remarkable element of this church is its wooden ceiling — not unusual in the churches in the area, we were told. We joined the sisters of the Casteller Ring Community, a Protestant religious order in the Benedictine tradition that lives in the monastery today, for prayer at noon. During the service, two mocking birds jumped from rafter to rafter and sang a cheerful song.

Our guide then led us to the winter chapel. We learned that many of these mammoth, old stone churches do not have heat, and so “winter churches,” with their smaller spaces that could be heated, were and still are used several months of the year. As we walked the corridor from the main church to the winter chapel, our guide told us that Luther would have walked this corridor in silence. This building is also featured in the movie, “Luther.”

Our guide told us of Luther’s work at the monastery and how he translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. The translated versions were large and had leather covers and painted letters.

The monastery’s museum opened in 2002 and features replicas of where Luther slept and worked, and a sample of the robe that he and the other monks would have worn. There is also a library housing around 60,000 books.

Luther’s time at the monastery did not sound very appealing to me. He ate once or, on rare occasions, twice a day. He slept in the unheated halls outside of his personal cell and woke at 3 a.m. every day. Every three hours he was called to the church to pray.

Erfurt in the afternoon
Next we investigated the bustling city. I stumbled upon one of the two major shopping complexes located in the heart of the city. It was a sunny day and the temperature was 73 degrees — a perfect opportunity to join the locals in eating ice cream at the closest Eis Café. My cone featured papaya and mango over a strawberry concoction.

I later found a front row seat at a bakery counter that was serving freshly baked bread — a perfect vantage point for taking in the local color and people-watching. This mall differed somewhat from what I am used to in the States. Amidst the other stores that carried American and European perfumes and cosmetics, there was a bakery in the food court as well as a fruit market. There was also a store dedicated to selling tea.

Erfurt at night
Some members of another group we ran into told us that Faustus’ was the place to be on Friday night. The outside tables were crowded, and it looked like all of the other outside restaurants in the area were crowded too.
The winding cobblestone streets feature quaint and colorful outdoor cafes though, located next to an older building that was painted yellow, I saw a super modern building made of iron and glass that towered over it. Construction sites in this city also start out as archaeological digs — no wonder, given the age of the city.

After a moonlit stroll down the winding cobblestone streets, I and my fellow dining companions arrived at the monastery. Half of our group actually stayed in the monastery during our visit; the monastery rents rooms (and there is a conference center). The rooms are modern, yet modest — no phones, TVs, or clock radios in these cozy rooms, and quiet hours are posted and expected to be observed.

Although there were some modern elements and shopping complexes that mirrored those in my own neighborhood in Chicago, I knew that I was somewhere very different and special.