{"id":25154,"date":"2024-02-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=25154"},"modified":"2024-01-26T11:29:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T10:29:11","slug":"sights-in-erlangen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/germany\/bavaria\/erlangen\/sights-in-erlangen\/","title":{"rendered":"Sights in Erlangen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Erlangen is very different from other Franconian towns. Although half-timbered houses can also be found here, they are less obvious. Its history as the first baroque planned town and the sights in Erlangen are particularly noteworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Added to this is Erlangen’s youthful dynamism, characterised by the many students who fill the city with life and contribute to its special charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I set off on a discovery tour of the most important sights in Erlangen, I realise just how much the city has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margravial Palace Erlangen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1700, the Hereditary Prince of Brandenburg-Bayreuth Georg Wilhelm commissioned the construction of a margravial palace in Erlangen. Just three years later, Margrave Christian Ernst acquired the almost completed shell and gave the palace to his third wife Elisabeth Sophie. It only took another year and the palace was completed in the Baroque style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the following years, a castle garden with an orangery, the Concordia Church, the Huguenot Fountain, an equestrian statue and a hedge theatre were built behind the castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the beginning of the 19th century, the palace was a widow’s residence. First Elisabeth Sophie, then Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels and later the widowed margravine Sophie Caroline Marie lived there. She must have liked it there, because people met at her castle and she liked to party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In January 1814, a devastating fire broke out in the attic of the castle due to poorly maintained bricks. Unfortunately, it was so cold at the time that the extinguishing water was frozen and it was impossible to put out the fire. The castle burnt out completely. The people of Erlangen quickly realised that it was impossible to extinguish the fire and put their energy into saving the furniture. The margravine moved from the uninhabitable palace to a nearby palace. After her death, she bequeathed the palace and its outbuildings to the University of Erlangen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 1821, the university architect \u00d6rtel rebuilt the palace so that it could be used as a teaching centre. Initially it housed lecture theatres, seminar rooms and the library, but today the administration is located in the palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Erlangen\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Palace garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Erlangen Palace Gardens are located behind the palace. It is considered one of the first baroque gardens in Franconia and is one of the most popular sights in Erlangen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, the garden was around 15.4 hectares in size. There was a central axis, which was emphasised by the Huguenot fountain, the equestrian statue and the hedge theatre. The palace, the orangery and the Concordia Church framed a large square. The gardens themselves consisted of ornamental beds, groups of trees and lawns typical of the period. There was a pleasure garden with sculptures and fountains, a kitchen garden in which medicinal herbs also grew, an orchard and a pheasantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Schlossgarten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Later, following the trend of the time, the palace garden was transformed into an English landscape garden. The university opened the park to the public in 1849. The area was reduced by around 50% and buildings for a hospital and the botanical garden were constructed. This can be visited free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my first visit to Erlangen, I saw the palace gardens in summer. A wonderful place for a short walk. On my second visit to the city, I was able to visit the palace gardens at dusk in winter. The atmosphere was even quieter now and there were hardly any other visitors. Really beautiful\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orangery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Orangery is one of the most striking buildings in the palace gardens. It was built in 1704-06 and the baroque exterior fa\u00e7ade shows rococo influences. Today, this building also belongs to the Friedrich Alexander University. It houses the Institute of Church Music and the Institute of Art History. Concerts are also organised there from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Orangerie\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Huguenot Fountain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have to admit that I only liked the Huguenot fountain at second, if not third glance. But perhaps that was also because I found the design very unusual and initially only saw a cone without any content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hugenottenbrunnen<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But let’s take a closer look:
In an oval fountain basin stands a cone-shaped rock mountain made of sandstone. The fountain, created in 1706, is divided into three levels. The lowest level depicts noble Huguenot families. Ancient deities are depicted in the centre and Margrave Christian Ernst at the top. Through an opening in the cone, you can see as far as the equestrian statue at the back of the palace garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the figures depicted are relatively difficult to recognise. Although their shapes have been carved out of the stone, they stand out only slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huguenot Church<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Protestant Reformed Church, also known as the Huguenot Church, is located in Erlangen’s Neustadt district on Hugenottenplatz. The church building is the oldest Huguenot church still in use outside France, the oldest building in Erlangen’s Neustadt district and the second oldest church in the city and one of the most important sights in Erlangen. The church was built from 1686, when the new town was created. The tower was not erected until 1732.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 1685, King Louis XIV (of France) issued an edict in which he expelled Calvinist clergymen from the country and prohibited the practice of the Protestant faith. Within a very short space of time, around 500,000 Huguenots left France and sought refuge as religious refugees in neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Margrave Christian Ernst recognised an opportunity in the refugees, some of whom were very well educated and skilled craftsmen. He authorised the settlement of the Huguenots in Erlangen by edict in November 1685.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town of Erlangen, which was quite small at the time, had just 300-500 inhabitants. Suddenly there were around 1500 religious refugees in the town, who were initially given makeshift accommodation with existing families. Within a short space of time, the planned new town was built south of the old town centre for the new inhabitants. This also included the construction of a church, which had been contractually guaranteed to the Huguenots. Margrave Christian Ernst took over the financing and provided soldiers for the construction work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A view into the church<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The church is a hall church with a simple rectangular floor plan and no choir. The orientation of the presbytery to the west is very unusual. This arrangement is intentional, as the intention was not to create an east-facing altar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Orgel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The organ was installed in 1755-1764 and is located where the margrave’s lodge originally stood. This was moved to the south side of the church. The pulpit, in the form of a communion chalice, stands in the centre of the nave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kanzel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The communion table and baptismal font stand in front of it. Traditionally, Calvinists do not have an altar. The pews for the congregation are aligned on three sides towards the communion table. In keeping with Calvinist tradition, the interior of the church is very simple and has no pictures from the Old Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The church service was still held in French until 1822.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margravial Baroque Theatre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Standing in front of the Markgrafentheater, it is hard to imagine what a sight Erlangen has to offer and what a beautiful theatre is hidden behind its simple fa\u00e7ade. Erlangen’s Margrave Theatre is the oldest baroque theatre in southern Germany that is still in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Theater<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The theatre was built in 1715-1719 by order of the margrave of the time as an “opera and comedy house”. The opera Argenis and Poliarchus was performed at the inauguration. The auditorium was later remodelled at the request of Margravine Wilhelmine of Bayreuth. This had become necessary because the candles providing light had made everything sooty and it no longer looked attractive. As a result, many rococo elements can be seen today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I enter the theatre hall, I am really surprised. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium stretches upwards over three tiers supported by colonnades. A royal box dominates the centre area. It is crowned by a canopy supported by gilded figures. Borders and gilded tassels carved from wood lend the box an imposing appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Markgrafentheater\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The stage is 11 metres wide and a good 12 metres deep. There is also an orchestra pit for 40 musicians. There used to be almost 500 seats in the theatre. Today, depending on the play and visibility, there are 250-400 spectators in the theatre. The third tier is now used for spotlights and loudspeakers. Around 260 performances a year, ranging from classics to contemporary plays, are staged in the Margrave Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sights in Erlangen: City Museum Erlangen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For all visitors interested in the history of the city, a visit to the city museum is just the thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the listed Old Town Hall, a baroque building from 1733\/40, you can walk through time and discover interesting things in various exhibition areas. In addition to the permanent exhibition, there are also temporary special exhibitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Sehensw\u00fcrdigkeiten<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I find the section dealing with the history of the Huguenots in Erlangen very interesting. In addition to a number of well-explained display boards, I was fascinated by the section presenting the trades practised by the Huguenots. At the centre of this part of the exhibition are the crafts and manufactories introduced by the Huguenots, in particular the collection of hosiery and glove making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Strumpfwirkermaschine<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I had never seen a hosiery loom before this visit. In the heyday of the trade, around 3000 people were employed in the manufacture of stockings in Erlangen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you look in another part of the exhibition, you will discover something that every schoolboy has owned at some point – a pencil sharpener! At the beginning of the 19th century, the connection to the railway network brought about an economic turnaround in the town. At this time, Theodor M\u00f6bius, who designed brushes for the Kr\u00e4nzlein company, was tired of always having to sharpen his pencils with a pocket knife. He designed the first cone-shaped pencil sharpener. Initially, demand was low, but it wasn’t long before an industry emerged in Erlangen that produced pencil sharpeners. By around the mid-1980s, 75% of the world’s pencil sharpeners were being produced. Part of the production is on display in the city museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Musterkoffer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Insider tip: Comic book vending machine in the city museum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It hangs inconspicuously in the entrance area by the cloakroom – the comic book vending machine. It looks a bit like an old cigarette vending machine and works in a similar way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n