Erfurt is Germany's Hidden Jewel

Americans don’t visit Erfurt but they should. The city is more than 1250 years old and is jammed with fantastic buildings remaining from the period of building from the late 1400s to the early 1600s, at the height of the German Renaissance.

One of those buildings, the 16the century “Breiten Herd” was severely damaged by a cooking fire a year ago and it’s great to see, on a recent visit of September 6 and 7, that the facade was not damaged but “only” the interior. Another wonderful experience is to stroll across Germany’s only intact merchant bridge. The “Kraemerbruecke” dates back to the 14th century. Houses on either side of the bridge form a narrow alleyway lined today with swank antique and other shops plus a couple of cafes. It’s the most expensive real estate in town because of the fact that every tourist MUST walk across this bridge at least once during their visit.