Jewish treasure from Erfurt

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Coins of Treasure

The Jewish treasure of Erfurt , which was discovered by chance in the Thuringian state capital in 1998 , is unique in the world both in terms of its size and its state of preservation. That is why the city administration is striving to have it included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites together with the Old Synagogue (the oldest still preserved in Europe) and the mikvah .

Find history and origin

In 1998, archaeological soil investigations were carried out in the old town of Erfurt . As an old cellar wall, used as a parking space for bicycles, was to be preserved under the new building complex on the property at Michaelisstrasse 43/44 - in the immediate vicinity of the Old Synagogue - no excavations were planned there. By chance, however, the construction workers came across a silver bowl stuck under the masonry. Assuming it was a piece of tin , they put the find in their trailer . It wasn't until some time later, after more detailed investigations, that the meaning of the bowl became clear and archaeologists began to recover the treasure that was buried under the wall of the cellar access.

Investigations revealed that the former owner was the wealthy Jewish moneylender and banker Kalman von Wiehe , who apparently hid his valuables during the plague pogrom in 1349 out of fear of robbery and looting. He did not survive the violent persecution that took place in Erfurt on March 21st.

Found objects

The treasure has a total weight of 28 kilograms. It consists of 3,141 silver coins , 14 silver bars of various sizes, a silver crockery set - consisting of a set of eight cups, a jug and a drinking bowl - as well as over 700 individual pieces of Gothic gold and silversmithing , some of which are set with precious stones . Particularly noteworthy for the latter are eight brooches of various sizes and shapes hidden in a so-called "double head" (actually double pot), some with lavish stone trimmings, and seven rings made of gold and silver. In numerical terms, however, belt parts and garments make up the largest proportion.

The showpiece of the treasure is the extremely filigree and artistically crafted wedding ring , in which the words Masel tov ( de .: good luck ) are engraved in Hebrew .

presentation

In the course of several exhibitions abroad, the treasure received international attention. From April to September 2007, for example, some of his pieces were shown together with the Colmar Treasure as part of the “Trésors de la Peste Noire” exhibition at the Musée national du MoyenÂge in Paris . In New York City , the Yeshiva University Museum dedicated its own exhibition to the important find from Germany with "Erfurt: Jewish Treasures from Medieval Ashkenaz " from September 9, 2008 to January 29, 2009, followed immediately afterwards between February 19 and 10 May the exhibition "Treasures of the Black Death" at the Wallace Collection in London . The treasure could then be viewed in Beit Hatefutsot in Tel Aviv-Jaffa . Since October 27, 2009, it has been on permanent display in the cellar vault of the Old Synagogue in Erfurt, which opened as a museum on the same day after years of renovation .

reception

The find was thematized in Mirjam Pressler's last novel , which was published in early 2019 under the title Dark Gold .

literature

  • Maria Stürzebecher: Erfurt treasure . Bussert & Stadeler, Jena u. a. 2009, ISBN 978-3-932906-96-1 , ( Jewish life Erfurt ).
  • Sven Ostritz (ed.): The medieval Jewish culture in Erfurt . Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2010 [4 volumes, not evaluated]
  • The treasure find. Archeology, art history, settlement history . ISBN 978-3-941171-20-6 .
  • The treasure find. Analyzes, manufacturing techniques, reconstructions . ISBN 978-3-941171-21-3 .
  • The treasure find. The coins and bars . ISBN 978-3-941171-22-0 .
  • Maria Stürzebecher: The Erfurt treasure . In: City and History. Magazine for Erfurt. Special issue No. 19 / October 2019, pp. 26-27.

Web links

Commons : Jüdischer Schatz von Erfurt  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. https://www.mdr.de/kultur/mirjam-pressler-dunkles-gold-102.html
  2. https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/mirjam-pressler-dunkles-gold-emotionaler-jugendroman-ueber.950.de.html?dram:article_id=444642

Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 43.1 ″  N , 11 ° 1 ′ 45.4 ″  E