My first time to any of these towns in the former DDR, and they give me an impression of still struggling to go from the state economy to a market economy. Impressions derive from the many restaurants and stores that I find closed. During DDR times, there was little emphasis on refurbishing historical buildings, but lots of effort has been made in the last 25 years to turn that around. Therefore, many of the beautiful pictures owe their beauty to recent infusions of funds!
Erfurt's cathrdral was most impressive even though it was too early to go inside. The other buildings on cathedral plaza and the massive stone foundations of the cathedral were equally imptessive. Just had to add the IKEA presence (my second on the Via Regia).
The next two pics on top became cmon sites along the way, and the bottom two pics are of the Augustinian Cloister Hostel where I'm staying here in Gotha (dating back to 1258, but heavily renovated into a modern single-room hostel facility) and my view down to the old arcade.
