The Free State of Thüringia's largest city is home to one of the most well-kept medieval city centres in Germany, dominated by the monumental ensemble of the Cathedral of St. Mary and the Church of St. Severus.
Attractions within the historical old city also include the St. Augustine Evangelical Monastery, the neo-Gothic town hall at the fish market, surrounded by wealthy patrician houses and the few well-maintained Baroque city fortification.