The history of Erfurt’s old town dates back to 742 when the bishopric was founded by Boniface. The early medieval old town centre is one of the largest in Germany and is centred around the fish market at Erfurt’s town hall, which is well worth seeing. Until the middle of the 15th century, Erfurt was considered a large city, mainly characterised by trade. After the foundation of the German Empire at the end of the 19th century, the city was considerably enlarged. During the Second World War, the old town was largely destroyed. In 1989, committed citizens were able to prevent the planned demolition of the Andreasviertel by the GDR regime. After reunification, almost all the historic buildings were restored.
