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Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt

Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt
Located in the medieval historic centre of Erfurt, the capital city of Thuringia, the property comprises three monuments: the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh, and the Stone House. They illustrate the life of the local Jewish community and its coexistence with a Christian majority in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, between the end of the 11th and the mid-14th century.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Patrimoine médiéval juif d’Erfurt
Situé dans le centre historique médiéval d’Erfurt, la capitale de la Thuringe, ce bien comprend trois monuments : la vieille synagogue, le mikveh (bain rituel) et la maison de pierre. Ces monuments illustrent la vie de la communauté juive locale et sa coexistence avec la majorité chrétienne en Europe centrale durant le Moyen Âge, entre la fin du XIe siècle et le milieu du XIVe siècle.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

التراث اليهودي لمدينة إيرفورت في العصور الوسطى
يقع هذا الموقع في المركز التاريخي لمدينة إيرفورت الذي يعود إلى العصور الوسطى، والمدينة هي عاصمة ولاية تورينجيا، ويتضمن الموقع المعالم الأثرية الثلاثة التالية: الكنيس القديم والميكفاه والبيت الحجري. وتعرض هذه المعالم حياة المجتمع المحلي لليهود وتعايشهم مع الأغلبية المسيحية في وسط أوروبا خلال فترة العصور الوسطى بين أواخر القرن الحادي عشر وأواسط القرن الرابع عشر.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

埃尔福特的中世纪犹太遗产
遗产位于图林根自由州首府埃尔福特(Erfurt)的中世纪古城,由3座古建筑组成:旧犹太教堂、浸礼池、石屋。它们展现了中世纪时期(公元11世纪末至14世纪中期)中欧地区犹太社区的生活,及其与基督教多数派的共存。

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Еврейское средневековое наследие Эрфурта
Расположенный в средневековом историческом центре Эрфурта, столицы Тюрингии, объект включает в себя три памятника: Старую синагогу, Микве и Каменный дом. Они иллюстрируют жизнь местной еврейской общины и ее сосуществование с христианским большинством в Центральной Европе в эпоху Средневековья, с конца XI до середины XIV века.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Patrimonio medieval judío de Erfurt
Situado en el centro histórico medieval de Erfurt, capital de Turingia, el sitio comprende tres monumentos: la Sinagoga Vieja, la Mikve (baño ritual) y la Casa de Piedra. Ilustran la vida de la comunidad judía local y su coexistencia con una mayoría cristiana en Europa Central durante la Edad Media, entre finales del siglo XI y mediados del XIV.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

Located in the heart of the Old Town of Erfurt in Thuringia, the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt comprises the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House, which are rare and exceptionally preserved examples of Central European Jewish buildings that illustrate, in their built fabric, architectural details and decoration programme, the adaptation to the town’s specific spatial and social conditions and the coexistence of a Jewish community with a predominantly Christian society, during the urban development of Erfurt at the crossroads of important commercial routes in Central Europe in the Middle Ages. The property sheds light on the heyday of a Jewish community engaged with trade and exchanges in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, between the late 11th and mid-14th centuries CE, until the Black Death wave of pogroms.

Criterion (iv): The Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House of Erfurt are an early and rare testimony to Jewish religious and secular architecture from the Middle Ages in Central Europe. The buildings illustrate the conformity with vernacular architecture and adaptation to local conditions and thus reflect the coexistence with a predominantly Christian society and the heyday of Jewish life in Central Europe’s medieval Erfurt until the wave of pogroms of the mid-14th century.

Integrity

The property includes all attributes necessary to express its Outstanding Universal Value. The former Jewish Quarter, in the buffer zone, with its well-preserved urban layout, medieval built fabric, and street network, includes visual connections and attributes that are functionally important as a support to the property and its protection. The integration of the buildings of the Jewish community into the medieval city is impressively perceivable to this day. They reflect how Jews and Christians lived together in the midst of coexistence, persecution and expulsion in a medieval city in Europe. The three component parts are of adequate size, so the protection of the characteristics and processes, which communicate the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, is guaranteed. The Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt is not threatened by any adverse developments or neglect.

Authenticity

The form and materials of the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House are largely preserved. Evidence of their construction and use by the Jewish community and Jewish citizens of the city and their conformity with local building traditions and techniques is provided by the preserved original medieval building fabric. The exceptionally well-preserved building fabric of the Old Synagogue mostly dates to the period from around 1100 to the early 14th century, when it was in use as a synagogue. In the Mikveh, the form of the ground plan and room height, as well as the medieval building fabric (12th-14th centuries), have been authentically preserved. Its original function as a ritual bath is fully perceivable. The Stone House is largely preserved in its fundamental structural elements from the 13th century and its unique interior design. The traces of a key event of European history, the wave of pogroms of 1348-1350, are clearly perceivable to this day.

Protection and management requirements

The laws and other regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Thuringia guarantee the continuous protection of the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt. The Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House are registered as cultural monuments in the Book of Monuments (Denkmalbuch) of the Free State of Thuringia in accordance with Article 4 of the Protection of Cultural Heritage Act of Thuringia (ThürDSchG). In addition, they are included in the monument ensemble "Old Town of Erfurt", which is also recorded in the Book of Monuments. All measures in the monument ensemble "Old Town of Erfurt", in which the three component parts and the buffer zone are located, require permission from the Local Cultural Protection Authority (Untere Denkmalschutzbehörde). In addition, municipal statutes and planning such as the preservation and design statutes and the Urban Development Concept ensure the sustenance of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and the protective function of the buffer zone.

The City of Erfurt is responsible for management as the owner of the property. A management plan has been developed as a binding action and planning instrument and will be periodically updated. The Site Coordinator office, backed up by the Steering Group and the Advisory Board, is key to guaranteeing coordination and management effectiveness at the property. A careful strategy for the use, interpretation and communication of the property is crucial for long-term sustenance of its Outstanding Universal Value.

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