Erfurt Treasure
The Jewish treasure of Erfurt, which was discovered in 1998 by accident in the Thuringian capital, is a worldwide unique both in its scope and in its state of preservation. Therefore, the City Council seeks to design with the Old Synagogue ( the oldest surviving in Europe) to have it record and the mikvah in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Fund History and origin
1998 took place in archaeological soil studies in Erfurt's historic. Since under the new complex on the property Michaelisstraße 43/44 - in the immediate vicinity of the Old Synagogue - an old cellar walls, used as a storage space for bicycles, should be preserved, no excavations were planned there. By chance, the construction workers came, however, to a clamping under the masonry silver bowl. Assuming it were a piece of tin, they laid the Fund in their trailer. Only some time later, upon further examination, the importance of the shell was significantly and archaeologists began to recover the treasure, which was buried under the wall of the basement access.
Former owner was, according to research by the wealthy Jewish moneylender and banker of Kalman Wiehe, who hid his valuables during Pestpogroms in 1349 for fear of robbery and plunder. He survived the violent persecution that was carried out on March 21 in Erfurt, not.
Finds
The treasure has a total weight of 28 kilograms. It is made up of 3141 silver coins, 14 silver ingots of different sizes, one silver tableware ensemble - consisting of a set of eight cups, a jug and a goblet - and over 700 individual pieces of Gothic gold - and silversmith's art, some of which are studded with precious stones. Notable amongst the latter group are specifically eight in a so-called " double head " hidden brooches of different size and shape with sometimes lush with stones and seven rings of gold and silver. But the numerically largest share make belt parts and Gewandbesätze.
The showpiece of the treasure is an extremely delicate and artfully crafted wedding ring in the Hebrew language the words mazel tov ( en.: Good luck ) are engraved.
Presentation
In the course of several exhibitions - which had to be performed because Erfurt initially could not provide suitable premises for a presentation of treasures - abroad Treasure learned international attention. For example, some of its parts were shown, among others, together with the treasure of Colmar in the exhibition " Trésors de la Peste Noire " in the Musée national du Moyen Âge Between April and September 2007. In New York City, the Yeshiva University Museum dedicated to the major finding from Germany with " Erfurt: Jewish Treasures from Medieval Ashkenaz " September 9, 2008 through January 29, 2009, own show and immediately followed between February 19 and 10 Mai., the exhibition " Treasures of the Black Death" in the Wallace Collection in London. Then the treasure could still be seen in Tel Aviv -Yafo in Beit Hatefutsot. Since 27 October 2009, he is permanently in the basement of the Old Synagogue in Erfurt - issued - which was opened after many years of restoration as a museum on the same day.