Diese Webseite ist Teil des Projektes „Neugestaltung der touristischen Wegweisung der Stadt Mühlhausen/Thüringen“, das im Rahmen der Gemeinschaftsaufgabe „Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur“ (GRW) von der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und dem Freistaat Thüringen gefördert wird.
Old cemetery
The town cemetery, laid out in 1802 at the Äußeren Neupfortentor, gradually replaced the older church cemeteries spread throughout the town. Situated outside the city in between gardens and fields the burial ground was gradually...
show moreThe town cemetery, laid out in 1802 at the Äußeren Neupfortentor, gradually replaced the older church cemeteries spread throughout the town. Situated outside the city in between gardens and fields the burial ground was gradually enlarged over the following decades. In 1927, the cemetery had run out of space and was closed. Although the stipulated rest periods of some graves had not yet expired, parts of the cemetery were made available for urban development during the 1970s. Today, several grave monuments, tombstones, the warden’s house, the funeral chapel and parts of the Jewish cemetery are still preserved.
Address
Eisenacher Straße99974 Mühlhausen
Mural "The history of Mühlhausen/Thuringia"
The facade artist Marco Brzozowski has designed a 500-square-metre house gable as a total work of art on which 21 episodes from Mühlhausen's town history are depicted.
The large picture fascinates by a distinctive plasticity. The...
show moreThe facade artist Marco Brzozowski has designed a 500-square-metre house gable as a total work of art on which 21 episodes from Mühlhausen's town history are depicted.
The large picture fascinates by a distinctive plasticity. The entire wall shows a castle, light and shadow make towers, corridors, balconies and arches stand out or recede. The persons depicted are all larger than life. Their height ranges from two and a half to four metres. Where historical personalities are concerned, of whom old depictions are known, Marco Brzozowski has kept to the originals. Among others, Thomas Müntzer and Johann Sebastian Bach, who worked in Mühlhausen, or Johann August Röbling, who was born in Mühlhausen in 1806, can be seen. Also depicted are various kings and princes who played a role in the town's development. The pictures range from the first documentary mention in 967 to the Thirty Years' War, the plague epidemic in 1682 and the liberation by American troops in 1945 to the fall of the Wall in 1989. A few metres away from the work of art, a board has been set up for the viewers to explain the partial pictures.
Another work by the artist is located on a house gable on the Unstrut and shows various sights of the city.
Address
Feldstraße 5a99974 Mühlhausen
Bach-Organ at St. Mary's Church
An interactive experience station in front of St. Mary's Church invites visitors to listen to original Bach works. By stepping on the "organ pedal," visitors generate electricity themselves, which causes music to sound. The...
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An interactive experience station in front of St. Mary's Church invites visitors to listen to original Bach works. By stepping on the "organ pedal," visitors generate electricity themselves, which causes music to sound. The module is accessible free of charge and promises a special experience through the visitors' own interaction. A lot of fun is guaranteed for big and small guests.
Address
Bei der Marienkirche99974 Mühlhausen
Sound shower at the Church of Blaise the Divine
The imposing Divi Blasii hall church in the medieval imperial city of Mühlhausen is considered an important place of work for Johann Sebastian Bach and impresses visitors with its unmistakable authenticity. In the extraordinary...
show moreThe imposing Divi Blasii hall church in the medieval imperial city of Mühlhausen is considered an important place of work for Johann Sebastian Bach and impresses visitors with its unmistakable authenticity. In the extraordinary choir room of Divi Blasii, visitors will now find a modern and multimedia presentation of important information, integrated into a historic choir stall. The media station offers numerous tips and visual suggestions for exploring Bach's places of activity. Using a sound shower, visitors can also enjoy several Bach works played on the historic organ in a surprisingly impressive way.
Key available at the Haus der Kirche
no access during the specified opening times for church services and events
Closed to visitors from November to the end of March
Address
Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Platz99974 Mühlhausen
The Inner Frauentor
Situated in the northwest, the Frauentor
(“women’s gate”) was one of the four main gates of the inner city wall leading into the Imperial City of Mühlhausen.
As all main gates, the Frauentor consisted of a double gate and a...
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Situated in the northwest, the Frauentor
(“women’s gate”) was one of the four main gates of the inner city wall leading into the Imperial City of Mühlhausen.
As all main gates, the Frauentor consisted of a double gate and a bailey. It was originally constructed as a multilevel tower, fronted by a low gatehouse. A parapet wall flanked the alley between the gates. The “middle” Frauentor, which was called so to distinguish it from the gate of the outer city wall, was torn down in 1830. Its outline is marked on the street surface. The Innere Frauentor got its current appearance after the city fire of 1655. The municipal coat embedded in the wall is from the original gate. In the 19th and 20th century three portals were added next to the main gate in order to deal with the increasing traffic volume.
Address
Am Frauentor 799974 Mühlhausen
An der Burg - former palatinate
The Castle and the Imperial Palace were first mentioned in documents issued by King Otto I in 967 and 974. From these times on well into the 13th century many rulers have found accommodation in the Imperial Palace and Castle. The...
show moreThe Castle and the Imperial Palace were first mentioned in documents issued by King Otto I in 967 and 974. From these times on well into the 13th century many rulers have found accommodation in the Imperial Palace and Castle. The most significant historical event took place on 8th March 1198 when Frederick Barbarossaʼs son Philipp of Swabia was chosen king. The citizenry of Mühlhausen, striving for more autonomy, razed the castle completely in 1256. Some of the stones of a round tower were used to expand the choir of S. Mary’s Church, and some of the last remains of the Castle in the ground were removed and reused when a local brewery built beer cellars in 1851. Reminders of the former fortification can be found in nearby streetnames, and also in the shopping centre Burggalerie, which opened 1998. It took a while for the king to forgive the citizenry their violent destruction of the Castle in 1256.
Eventually, Heinrich VII gave the premises to the nearby Cistercian monastery Volkenroda in 1310, which had to cede it to the City of Mühlhausen eight years later. Close to the former Castle used to be the Jewish cemetery, documented as early as 1417, possibly even in existence before 1349. The cemetery was closed in 1871 and its tombstones transferred to the new Jewish cemetery, to make way for road widenings linking the old town to the newly opened train station.
Address
An der Burg 2599974 Mühlhausen
The Outer Frauentor
In order to protect Mühlhausen’s suburbs an outer city wall was erected in the 14th century. Originally it had three massive gateway towers, of which only the outer Frauentor from the 15th century remains preserved today....
show moreIn order to protect Mühlhausen’s suburbs an outer city wall was erected in the 14th century. Originally it had three massive gateway towers, of which only the outer Frauentor from the 15th century remains preserved today. Entering the city from the west through the outer Frauentor one is presented with an impressive view of the former Imperial City. The barrel vault features late Gothic tracery and several keystones with ornaments depicting leaves. On the outside you can spot the remains of a once-painted niche, arched windows with tracery, mountings for the gate wings, and the grooves of the former portcullis.
Address
Johannisstraße99974 Mühlhausen
Stölcker Tannery
Raccoon and fox skins hang dry in the woodwork. On one table there are piles of deer skins, on another fluffy sheep skins. We are in the workshop of Jürgen Stölcker, probably the last tanner in all of Thuringia. The senior is a...
show moreRaccoon and fox skins hang dry in the woodwork. On one table there are piles of deer skins, on another fluffy sheep skins. We are in the workshop of Jürgen Stölcker, probably the last tanner in all of Thuringia. The senior is a man who knows how to work his raw materials and is proud of his ancient profession, of his guild, even today, when he knows that it will die out. After him, probably no craftsman like him will be tanning hides anymore. For his profession "is not for the faint-hearted," as he says. Wherever a tanner works, it smells of dead animal and cloying chemicals.
Anyone entering the workshop on Zöllnersgasse somehow also crosses the threshold into a bygone century. The functioning machines have long had historical value and enjoy the status of historical monuments. The tools also largely originate from the ancestors of the old family business, which Jürgen Stölcker took over in the fourth generation. His great-grandfather opened this tannery in 1895 in what was then the tanners' quarter, through which the Schwemmnotte river flows - at that time one of many.
Today, the Stölcker tannery in Zöllnersgasse is the last representative of the once so important guild in Mühlhausen. Guided tours for groups can be requested through the Tourist Information Mühlhausen.
Address
Zöllnersgasse 599974 Mühlhausen
Jewish cemetery
In 1872, the New Jewish Cemetery was consecrated. Twelve valuable graves were transferred from the medieval graveyard near the castle to the new site. After the Holocaust during the Third Reich Mühlhausen failed to attracted...
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In 1872, the New Jewish Cemetery was consecrated. Twelve valuable graves were transferred from the medieval graveyard near the castle to the new site. After the Holocaust during the Third Reich Mühlhausen failed to attracted enough Jews to establish a new Jewish community. For a long time the Jewish Cemetery was almost completely forgotten. Only after the German reunification was the cemetery re-established again. Since then, every year Mühlhausen’s citizens meet here on November 9, the night of the pogroms, to remember its victims.
Address
Heinrich-Pfeiffer-Straße 2099974 Mühlhausen
The Obermarkt ("upper market")
Starting in the 12th century the area of the imperial castle gradually became more urbanised. The city wall of the early 13th century already enclosed the space and in 1221 the town of Mühlhausen - or rather the existence of a...
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Starting in the 12th century the area of the imperial castle gradually became more urbanised. The city wall of the early 13th century already enclosed the space and in 1221 the town of Mühlhausen - or rather the existence of a pastor in the new town - was first mentioned in official documents. A market square, a precondition of urban development, as well as the building that later became the
Brotlaube (“bread booth”) was laid out east of St. Mary’s Church. Medieval market life comprised the traditional market day, which in Mühlhausen was Wednesdays, as well as the weekly market alternately taking place at the upper and the lower market, and last but not least fairs. Bakers and butchers sold their products in their respective booths. The bread booth was also used by the cloth merchants to sell their valuable goods protected from the weather.
The king had conferred jurisdiction over life and limb to the City Council and thus strengthened Mühlhausen’s status as an Imperial City. The Council exercised this privilege on the upper market, the former location of the royal castle and symbol of imperial power. Serious offenses against the Council resulted in public punishments. Minor offenses like theft led to less serious punishments such as confinement to the
Trillhäuschen, a rotating cage which was turned by passer-by until the offender passed out. The upper market was also the place of ceremonial and state acts, such as the promulgation of the Town Statutes after the Reformation in 1566, the paying of homage to the Holy Roman Emperors following their election, at their birthdays, and at the birth of royal offspring, the greeting of important noblemen arriving in the city as well as celebrations of victories and peace treaties.
As the new post office building replaced the old butcher’s booth in 1882 the upper market was renamed Postplatz ("post office square") before it received its historical designation again in 1990. As the bread booth and the surrounding town houses were restored, the square was redesigned in 1998/99, and the local market tradition was revived the
Obermarkt has once more become a worthy centre of the city of Mühlhausen.
Address
Obermarkt99974 Mühlhausen
The Untermarkt ("lower market")
The city of Mühlhausen was founded near the palatine castle, which dates back to the 10th century. The castle had been erected at a ford over the river Unstrut, a crossing point for several roads from different directions. Due to...
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The city of Mühlhausen was founded near the palatine castle, which dates back to the 10th century. The castle had been erected at a ford over the river Unstrut, a crossing point for several roads from different directions. Due to its favourable location the trading centre quickly developed into a town. A mint was documented for the 12th century and indicates an emerging monetary economy. The Untermarkt was the main marketplace of the old town and became the economic centre, located right next to the Church of Blaise the Divine. The farmers of the surrounding area supplied the inhabitants with foodstuff, while long-distance merchants facilitated the trade of valuable and rare handicraft products. Weekly markets and fairs took place regularly. The most valuable fabrics were traded in the Tuchlaube ("cloth booth"), first mentioned in 1304, which was situated in the northeast corner of the market. Here also was the pottery market. As the city wall was built in the early 13th century three of the four main gates led to the Untermarkt. The cloisters of the monasteries of Volkenroda (no. 17) and Beuren (no. 7) as well as of the Teutonic Order in the old town (Kristanplatz 1) with St. Ann’s chapel in the southwest are indicative of a representative backdrop. In 1715/16 the new superintendent’s office was established in the buildings of the former order court and St. Ann’s Chapel. As Mühlhausen was integrated into Prussia in 1802, the new authorities converted the Tuchlaube into the main police station. The churchyard of Blaise the Divine was abandoned and repaved to serve as a drill ground, expanding the Untermarkt further westwards. The representative houses characterising the Untermarkt today were mostly built in the 18th century. Standing out is the narrow half-timbered building (no. 15) from the year 1631, extending far back into the Brunnenkressstraße, which today houses a bakery. Already in 1415 there was a bakery business located at this place. To the east of the market is the headquarters building of the Sparkasse Unstrut-Hainich, built in 1999/2000. In 2006 the market was remodelled and the watercourse of the Popperode creek reopened. A monument for the Mühlhausen-born Johann August Röbling, who became famous in the United States for building wire-cable suspension bridges, has been erected in 2007 with donations from citizens and local firms. Public support also made possible the creation of the monument to Johann Sebastian Bach in 2009 next to the Church of Blaise the Divine, his former place of work. In 1915 the western part of the Untermarkt was renamed ‘Bach-Platz’ in his honour.
Address
Untermarkt99974 Mühlhausen
Steinweg
Many magnificent historical buildings are located in the pedestrian zone on Steinweg, which is a popular place both for shopping and stopping for a bite to eat.
History:
Steinweg ("stone way") got its name from the pavement laid...
show moreMany magnificent historical buildings are located in the pedestrian zone on Steinweg, which is a popular place both for shopping and stopping for a bite to eat.
History:
Steinweg ("stone way") got its name from the pavement laid here. The street changed in the course of time. Late Classicism and Neo-Renaissance buildings dominate here. In addition to new buildings, old houses were faced with new facades. In GDR times, the area of the upper Steinweg was designed as a boulevard. Today this high street is a popular promenade.
Address
Steinweg99974 Mühlhausen
Kornmarkt ("grain market")
The so-called Kornmarkt ("grain market") is located in the old town, between the Linsenstraße and the Ratsstraße. The square is dominated by the former Franciscan monastery church which once extended to the north up to the...
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The so-called Kornmarkt ("grain market") is located in the old town, between the Linsenstraße and the Ratsstraße. The square is dominated by the former Franciscan monastery church which once extended to the north up to the Schwemmnotte creek. The area between the Felchtaer Straße and the Walstraße was undeveloped until the construction of the monastery and the town hall during the thirteenth century. Today’s Kornmarkt became a cemetery for those citizens of Mühlhausen who felt that the mendicant order of the Franciscans was taking better pastoral care of them than the priests of the Teutonic Order. The monks were buried in the monastery cloister north of the church.
After the implementation of the Reformation in 1566 the cemetery was used by the remaining Catholics in town until it was closed down in 1584. Afterwards the area became a place for trading grain, giving the square its current name which means ‘grain market.’ As the Imperial City was annexed in 1802 by Prussia the church was mainly used as a storage place: the town scales were housed here, later grain was stored in the nave, and apartments were built into the choir. Two hotels and a bookstore characterised the Kornmarkt from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. The church was renovated prior to the 450th anniversary of the Peasant’s War and henceforth housed the Peasant’s War Museum, which significantly enhanced the place. On the occasion of the 500th birthday of Thomas Müntzer in 1989 the Kornmarkt was redeveloped and the foundations of the church portals were uncovered. At the beginning of the 1990s the half-timbered building of the former Löwen-Apotheke (a chemist’s shop) on the southern side of the square was renovated and today serves as a brewery inn, significantly vitalising the Kornmarkt.
Address
Kornmarkt99974 Mühlhausen
Linsenstraße
Many picturesque and historic buildings are located in the pedestrian zone of Linsenstraße, which is a popular place for shopping as well as stopping for a bite to eat. Annually, various events on Linsenstraße offer an...
show moreMany picturesque and historic buildings are located in the pedestrian zone of Linsenstraße, which is a popular place for shopping as well as stopping for a bite to eat. Annually, various events on Linsenstraße offer an entertaining programme from fashion shows to culinary specialties.
History:
Linsenstrasse got its name from a farm belonging to the Linse family. The street crosses the course of the Schwemmnotte stream.
Address
Linsenstraße99974 Mühlhausen
The Blobach
This square offers an impressive view of the medieval city - the inner city wall with its system of ramparts and moats and an aqueduct that was only rediscovered in 2001. From around 1292 onwards, the course of the Breitsülze...
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This square offers an impressive view of the medieval city - the inner city wall with its system of ramparts and moats and an aqueduct that was only rediscovered in 2001. From around 1292 onwards, the course of the Breitsülze stream was channelled through this aqueduct into the upper town. By means of a specially constructed canal of 5 km with a minimal gradient of only 1.80 m, the course of the stream was brought from its source to the city, where it drove the Antonius Mill just beyond the wall and then branched off into several street streams. Immediately next to it, the monument to Thomas Müntzer, created by Will Lammert in 1957, commemorates the radical reformer who worked in Mühlhausen in 1524/25 and was executed outside the town after being defeated in the Peasants' War. In front of the Inner Frauentor, built in 1655 and the only surviving part of the inner city wall ring, the location of the former Middle Frauentor is marked in the street pavement. The name "Frauentor" comes from the fact that the street leads through it to St. Mary's Church, consecrated to St. Mary the Virgin. Raben- and Hospitalturm, the suburban St. Peter's Church and within the city wall the ridge turret of the hospital chapel of St. Anthony's, the central tower of St. Mary's Church, the highest church tower in Thuringia, the towers of St. Jacob's Church and all the other church and city wall towers earned Mühlhausen the nickname of the towered city. If we turn our gaze to the west, it falls on the impressive Outer Frauentor, the last reminder of the former outer city wall, which in addition to the core city also protected the suburbs from the middle of the 14th century. From the Outer Frauentor along the northern Blobach leads the Johannisstraße, named after St. John's Chapel, which was demolished in 1577. At its location, the riding hall of the Prussian Uhlans stationed in Mühlhausen was built in the 19th century.
In the Middle Ages, the water of the Breitsülze creek flowing next to the road made it possible to water the woody flax stalks, which were then "blown" (beaten) to separate them from the linen fibers inside. This gave the "Blo(w)bach" its name. Flax cultivation for linen weaving was displaced by cheaper cotton in the 19th century.
The Garrison Zeughaus (No. 1a), built in 1845, and a residential building on the site of the former Blobach Mill, built in 1313 and burned down in 1983, complete the square to the west. St. Boniface Chapel, built in 1851 in the southern row of houses, was the first sacral building of the Catholic community, which was re-established after the end of the imperial city period in 1802.
In addition to its secular use as a parking lot close to the city center, the Blobach serves as a fairground during the spring festival and the city fair, the highlight of the traditional folk festivals.
Address
Blobach99974 Mühlhausen
