Krämerbrücke

The Krämerbrücke crosses the Gera on six arches and has carried buildings since the wooden bridge burned and was rebuilt in stone in 1325; thirty-two houses now stand on it, on both sides, so the roadway is a narrow lane and the river is invisible from it. No bridge in Europe has been lived on for longer without a break, and none carries a longer row of inhabited houses. Originally there were sixty-two smaller houses; they were combined over time. Churches stood at each end, of which one survives as a tower. The houses hold workshops, galleries and small shops, and people live above them. A bridge festival is held each June.

History

The bridge stood on the Via Regia, the medieval trade and pilgrim road through Erfurt, and a wooden bridge was built at the ford sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries; it is first mentioned in 1117 after one of its many fires, a "market bridge" with stalls on both sides is recorded in 1156, and the name Krämerbrücke has been in use since 1510. After fires in 1175, 1178, 1213, 1222, 1245, 1265 and 1293 the town bought all rights to the bridge from the monasteries in 1293, and the stone bridge was completed in 1325. At first local produce was sold here, later paper, goldsmiths' work, silk, spices and frankincense, and Erfurt's woad dye; the present half-timbered houses date from the 16th and 17th centuries, in 1624 the council allowed street musicians to play on the bridge, and St Benedict's church at its west end was sold in 1807 and demolished in 1810 except for its tower (Wikipedia, Krämerbrücke).

What's there

• The inhabited span - thirty-two houses on both sides of the bridge.
• The hidden river - a crossing that reads as a street, not a bridge.
• The workshops - craft shops and galleries in the ground floors.
• The end tower - the survivor of the two bridge churches.

When to go

April to October; the bridge festival falls in June and fills the old town. Shops close Sundays. It is busiest at midday with tour groups.

Things to know

It is short and crossed in a few minutes. Shops are aimed at visitors. The best view of the bridge as a bridge is from the riverbank, not on it.

Nearby

Erfurt cathedral lies west; Weimar is east.

Key facts