Krämerbrücke: bridge from the past to the present
Krämerbrücke, the bridge of retailers, is the worldwide known symbol of Erfurt. Ever since Medieval Ages trade has been conducted here. According to historians, the very first, wooden bridge was built in the 8th century. Its stone version appeared in 1325. The bridge acquired its present-day size in 1472 after a large fire in which half of Erfurt burnt down.
Standing close to each other on both sides of the bridge, there are 32 Fachwerk houses. People live in most of them. Settling in such a place means taking up a lot of responsibility on preservation of historical buildings and resigning to certain inconveniences – for instance, lack of lift. But residents treasure their houses and don’t want to move to modern buildings. Much to the delight of tourists: a view of the owner of the house sitting on the porch with a newspaper or a glass of wine in the evening gives this unusual street a cozy, homelike appearance.
In the small shops on the lower floors you can buy souvenirs, books, antiques, handmade chocolate and other articles of local craftsmen. The shop of the puppet-maker delights both adults and children. In its window you will find a mechanical puppet theatre. If you drop a small amount into the slot, the puppets will perform a small play. There are several cafes on the Krämerbrücke and a museum dedicated to the bridge history. In the third weekend of June a real annual celebration is conducted in its honour – Krämerbrückenfest. Guests are entertained by street and circus performers, minstrels. One of the main characters of the merriment is the favourite popular hero Till Eulenspiegel. He is connected with Erfurt by a legend according to which he had betted professors of the local university that he would teach a donkey to read, – and won the bet. In the memory of this story, a monument to Till and his “pupil” is erected in Erfurt.
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