About this place
The Wenigemarkt, whose name means the 'Lesser Market' in contrast to the great market on the Domplatz, is the quiet twin of Erfurt's famous Merchants' Bridge. You step onto it straight through the archway beneath the Ägidienkirche, the church that forms the bridge's eastern gate. First recorded in 1217, though merchants had almost certainly bartered grain and local goods here for two centuries before that, the square measures barely sixty meters on a side and folds into an irregular triangle. Where Frankish and Slavic traders once haggled over sacks of corn, the ground floors of the handsome painted houses now hold almost nothing but restaurants and pubs, making this one of the liveliest corners of the old town. At its heart a low fountain is crowned by Heinrich Apel's cheeky bronze of two wrestling boys, and above the rooftops rises the church's Red Tower, offering the best panorama in Erfurt to anyone willing to climb its stairs.
Key facts
- 1217 year — First mentioned in a document, though traders likely gathered here centuries earlier
- 60 meters — The length of each side of this compact triangular square
- 1976 year — Heinrich Apel cast the bronze 'Wrestling Boys' that crowns the fountain
📍 Wenigemarkt 5, 99084, Erfurt