On 20 October , in the midst of a second coronavirus surge and unfavourable autumnal rains, our fifth City Walk was doubly compromised. Today, places of consumption and entertainment like malls and commercial centres, stadiums and parks, and communication pivotal points such as train stations, airports, TV and radio offices equally shape urban life. As does religion, of course. This part of the city narrates a significant piece of the post-industrial history of Erfurt.
Here, the presentations and discussions showed us how much religion and urbanity are entangled. The Johannesvorstadt , or Johannes suburb, is located outside the Johannes city gate, downstream from the old city. Like other suburbs located around the outer city wall, the Johannesvorstadt was occupied by suburban settlements since the medieval period. Yet the city area started its significant development only from the late 19th century onwards, after the Bannmeile was cancelled in With the removal of the Bannmeile restrictions, commercial and industrial activities were permitted outside the old city, which encouraged the settlement of small enterprises and larger factories.
Consequently, the Johannesvorstadt developed into a planned city area with grid patterns and occupied by industries and housing fro workers. Other areas were occupied by industry, city services Stadtwerk and lately shaped by gardens and large buildings Altneubauten and Plattenbau answering to the post Second World War housing shortage.
These areas are now inhabited by an increasingly young 36,5 years old on average, i. Erfurt counted about Against this historical backdrop focused on industry and demographical growth, religion seems rather absent, at least invisible. No old churches and high bell towers. Yet our discussion demonstrated that religion is much more significant than it seems. This movement, encouraged by the engagement of reformers and garden enthusiasts such as Hans and Bernhard Kampffmeyer aimed at answering the societal issues of the industrialisation.
Away from the traditional religious dogmas, the Gartenstadtbewegung proposed new ideas of societal, spiritual and personal development. We then moved further on the Friedrich-Engels-Strasse where we encountered some blocks of flats Altneubauten and Plattenbau built in the 50s and 60s.
