The South Axis – The Erfurt Gate

Mühlhausen has the second largest monument in Thuringia with its 1,000 year history. Important trading routes met at the upper and lower market of the former imperial and royal city for over a century. In the lower city, the Erfurt and Felchta Streets along with the lower market were part of one such trading route, called the South Axis of the city. As a consequence of the changing economic conditions, the growth of the city and the traffic routes, the Felchta and Erfurt Gates were abandoned. Deep wound were left behind in the spatial gaps. Slowly, the old surface materials and the former division of the city areas were lost. The uniformity of the spatial value, the usage of space and the design returned at the beginning of the renovation of the city. Through the slow process of discovering the From-Gate-To-Gate labyrinth, the relationship between the sections of the former South Axis could successfully be given new life, city entryways redeveloped and marked.

Corresponding to the historical city layout and the archeological discoveries, the historic entryways to the city, the Erfurt and Felchta Gates were reproduced and the lower market re-organized. A blue band of basalt now links the individual areas with each other and leads from gate to gate. The same design principles, layouts and materials connect the city spaces. The reconstructed city gates and the lower market are the highpoint of the design along this band, a designed confrontation with the issue of time, even.

ERFURT GATE

With the abandonment of the city gate around 1841, the eastern city entryway lost its spatial composition. The historical spatial edges and the issue of the city wall were interpreted in a modern way with the inclusion of the archaeological discovery. The layout of the Erfurt Gate is depicted in the surface. The lighted pedestal also marks the city entryway. A small, independent plaza has been built, which has been gladly accepted by its environment.