City (pop., 2002 est.: 200,126), central Germany.
Boniface founded a bishopric in Erfurt in AD 742, and by 805 it was an important centre on the Frankish empire's eastern border. Erfurt was granted municipal rights с 1250 and joined the Hanseatic League in the 15th century. The city passed to Prussia in 1802, forming part of Prussian Saxony until 1945. Erfurt was the site of the first meeting of the leaders of East and West Germany in 1970. It is dominated by its 12th-century cathedral; other buildings include the monastery where Martin Luther was a monk (1505–08). Erfurt is an important road and railway junction and a commercial centre.