Mittelalterliche Mikwe, Erfurt

The Erfurt Mikvah is a Jewish ritual bath of medieval origin in the old town of Erfurt on the river Gera in the area of the Krämerbrücke. It belongs to the Erfurt Network Jewish Life.

The mikvah was rediscovered in 2007 and was opened to the public as a cultural site in 2011. The location of the facility was therefore favorable, as the necessary groundwater was already available at a shallow depth directly on the Gera River. A predecessor building of the ritual bath can be dated to the 12th century. The existing mikvah dates back to the 13th century. It was first mentioned in 1248 and used until the expulsion of the Jews in 1453. After that, the water basin was filled in and the room was used as a cellar. In the town fire of 1472, the building was damaged and subsequently repaired and reduced in size by half. It stood in a row with two other half-timbered houses directly on the river bank. During the Second World War, the narrow development of the quarter was considered a source of danger in the event of bombing, and the building with the mikvah and the neighboring house were therefore demolished. The remaining buildings were demolished at the latest when the green area was created in the run-up to the IGA in the 1960s. The reason for the renewal and reshaping of this green space was the collapse of a fortification wall. The mikvah was rediscovered during the archaeological investigations accompanying the construction work.

The mikvah was submitted to UNESCO in 2021 together with the Old Synagogue and the Stone House as Jewish-Medieval Heritage Erfurt.