The World Heritage status as proof of the Jewish-medieval heritage attracts more visitors and tourists ErfurtThe number of visitors to Erfurt’s World Heritage sites increased by 44 percent between January and the end of May compared to the same period last year, Tourismus GmbH, the capital of Thuringia, said on request.

In September 2023, UNESCO added three buildings to the World Heritage List as evidence of the city’s medieval Jewish heritage. These are the Old Synagogue, a mikvah (ritual bath), and the Stone House, a historic residential building.

Erfurt is one of five World Heritage Sites in Thuringia. There are more than 50 across Germany – on Friday, the small Saxon town of Herrnhut was added as part of the Moravian Community settlements.

More interest in guided tours

According to the tourist board, there are noticeably more international, especially English-speaking, guests in the city this year. The number of guided tours on the topic of “Jewish life in Erfurt” with visits to the World Heritage sites was 42 percent higher in the first half of the year than in the same period last year, and the number of participants rose by 36 percent.

The number of overnight stays in recent months was significantly higher than the year before and also higher than in the pre-Corona year 2019. At the end of April alone, the increase in the number of overnight stays was more than 35,000. This is also due to the impact of the designation as a World Heritage Site. In 2023, more than 992,000 overnight stays were counted in Erfurt. In 2024, the limit of one million overnight stays could be reached.

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