Kaisersaal

Kaisersaal stands in Erfurt’s old town as a cultural and congress centre with a historic hall. Wheelchair access makes this historic venue easier to reach. Built by the University of Erfurt in 1769, the building began a long life as a ballroom and theatre. Goethe and Schiller both appeared on its stages.

Schiller’s Don Karlos premiered here in 1791, while Napoleon Bonaparte and Tsar Alexander I visited during the Erfurt Congress of Princes in 1808. A neoclassical façade arrived in 1831, and the interior became a concert and ballroom venue in 1871. The SPD held its party congress here in 1891, adding political history to its cultural role. Structural problems closed the building in 1982, before restoration from 1991 to 1994 returned it to public use.

Today, concerts, performances, conferences and other cultural events fill the restored rooms. Attached restaurant Clara has received Michelin stars several times for its modern cuisine. The hall brings together eighteenth-century origins, nineteenth-century politics and contemporary events beneath one roof.