Old Synagogue (Erfurt) in the context of Erfurt massacre (1349)

Erfurt (German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁfʊʁt] ) is the capital and largest city of the Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the River Gera, in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest, and in the middle of a line of the six largest Thuringian cities (Thüringer Städtekette), stretching from Eisenach in the west, via Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar and Jena, to Gera in the east. Together with Kassel and Göttingen, it is one of the cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants lying closest to the geographic centre of Germany. Erfurt is 100 km (62 mi) south-west of Leipzig, 250 km (155 mi) north-east of Frankfurt, 300 km (186 mi) south-west of Berlin and 400 km (249 mi) north of Munich.

Erfurt's old town is one of the best preserved medieval city centres in Germany. The Gera is spanned by the Merchants' Bridge (Krämerbrücke), one of the rare bridges with houses built on it. On the Erfurt Cathedral Hill is the ensemble of Erfurt Cathedral—which houses the world's largest free-swinging medieval bell—and St Severus' Church. Petersberg Citadel is one of the largest and best preserved town fortresses in Central Europe. Erfurt's Old Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Europe, and together with the Erfurt Mikveh [de], which was only rediscovered in 2007, and the Stone House [de], forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.

The Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt is a series of buildings in the Old Town part of Erfurt, Germany, recognized as an item of Jewish cultural heritage. It was inscribed into the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in Germany in 2023. It includes Erfurt's Old Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Europe; the Erfurt Mikveh [de], a mikveh that was only rediscovered in 2007; and the Stone House [de], a 13th century residential building in Jewish ownership until present times.

Historic synagogues are synagogues that date back to ancient or medieval times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Most of the older sites covered below are purely archaeological sites, with evidence recovered by excavation, and no sign of use as a synagogue in recent centuries. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site. Others were converted into churches and mosques or used for other purposes.