Old Synagogue

The Old Synagogue of Erfurt is one of the best-preserved medieval synagogues in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023. Built in the mid-11th century, it is among the oldest synagogues in the German-speaking world still standing. For much of the intervening centuries it was used as a warehouse and wine store — which is partly why it survived. The Gothic stone arches and vaulted spaces have been beautifully restored.

The museum inside tells the history of the medieval Jewish community of Erfurt and displays the remarkable Erfurt Treasure — the gold and silver objects hidden in the walls around 1349, discovered only in 1998. Together with the nearby medieval mikveh (ritual bath), the synagogue forms the centrepiece of what is now recognised as exceptional medieval Jewish heritage. Do not miss it.

things to do museum sight
A story
In 1998, workers renovating the building found a hoard of gold and silver objects hidden in the walls — the Erfurt Treasure, the largest medieval Jewish treasure found in Europe. It had been hidden around 1349, when Erfurt's Jewish community was massacred during Black Death persecutions. No one came back to retrieve it.