Roter Berg

“Keuper,” a child called out, pointing at the reddish-brown slopes of Roter Berg. This isn’t just any hill; the very name, “Red Mountain,” comes from this unique Keuper rock. For centuries, this stone has been quarried to make bricks, shaping the very buildings of Erfurt. Roter Berg rises proudly from the Thuringian Basin, a prominent landmark standing about 234 meters high. The Erfurt Zoopark calls Roter Berg home, a haven for diverse wildlife in the heart of the city. But there’s more to this place than meets the eye. Beneath the surface of the modern zoo and residential area lies a rich history. Imagine the bustling vineyards that once graced the southern slopes. A popular spot for locals was the Weinberg-Haus, a vineyard house where Erfurters enjoyed the fruits of their labor before the phylloxera epidemic destroyed the vines. Roter Berg holds the memories of lost villages too. Falkenhausen on the western slope and Sulza at the eastern foot, both deserted by early modern times. Names like Orphal, Hohenwinden, and Uffhausen whisper tales of communities past. A somber chapter etched into Roter Berg’s history tells of eleven mass graves, the final resting place for 1,200 victims of the plague. The city, overwhelmed by the sheer number of deaths, sought refuge in the quiet slopes of the hill. In the mid-20th century, the landscape transformed again. From 1925 to 1939, the first Erfurt airport thrived here, operated by Lufthansa. Its story took a dark turn during World War II, becoming a military site for the Luftwaffe and a target of American air raids. Flak guns positioned on Roter Berg added another layer to the hill’s wartime experience. The heavy air raid of July 20, 1944, left a tragic mark, with numerous casualties among the Luftwaffe soldiers stationed there. The area continued as a small airfield until 1974. Today, the residential area of Erfurt-Roter Berg, built from 1976 to 1981, stands on this former airfield. The area, a prefabricated housing development, tells yet another story, this time of post-war urban planning and the changing face of Erfurt. Roter Berg isn’t simply a geological formation. It is a witness to Erfurt’s joys and sorrows, a repository of centuries of human experience, woven into the fabric of the city.