There was a large Jewish community in Erfurt, but in 1349 there was a pogrom, many Jews were killed, the rest were expelled, and property was taken. Apparently, this nomination became a kind of correction of this historical grievance, although very little of the Jewish heritage of those times has survived here. Basically, the object includes three buildings: 

1) The old synagogue, which was converted into a warehouse after the pogrom, has survived. The famous Erfurt treasure is on display, with many silver coins and ornaments, as well as a Jewish wedding ring. According to the coins, the treasure can be dated to the time of the pogrom, it is clear that Jews tried to hide their property. Maybe because of the treasure, it is strictly forbidden to take pictures in the old synagogue. It also displays Jewish manuscripts that were taken during the pogrom in Erfurt, got into the Augustinian monastery, from where these sacred books were sold to the state library in Berlin. But only facsimiles of these books are on display.

2) Mikveh, a pool for ritual ablutions. I was a bit lucky here, because this mikveh can be seen only during group tours, just such a tour was taking place, I sneaked in quietly and took a couple of photos.

3) And one stone house, which belonged to the Jews, where a painted ceiling was found, was separately added to the list. How to get inside to see that ceiling is unclear.

Of course, this object works more for the mission of restoring justice than it does for an adequate representation of the diversity of Jewish culture of this period.

Visited August 2024.