Begin with a place
Erfurt.life opens with Mario’s photograph of Domplatz and an invitation to explore the history found in the city’s streets. It is an independent historical project, available in English, German, Dutch and French. A bridge, a monastery or a river becomes a way into a larger story.
History as a route through the city
Seven historical chapters form the main timeline, with separate pages for readers who want to go deeper. Sources accompany the chapters. The Gera, Steigerwald and wider Thuringian landscape provide routes beyond the central chronology, connecting buildings and political change with the places around them.
A project built in stages
The recorded project began on 16 September 2026 with a briefing and a request for the technical structure alone. The homepage and chapter content followed in separate steps. After Mario reviewed the complete version, the first 13-page English site went online that evening.
The city shapes the design
In October, a new design gave Mario’s photographs more room and made the timeline more prominent. The current blue palette refers to Erfurt’s woad history, with warm chalk white and restrained yellow accents. The site explains that its blue is a modern interpretation, rather than a fixed historical dye shade.
Human perspective and editorial responsibility
Mario’s relationship to Erfurt gives the project its perspective. He chooses the direction and photographs, reviews the material and retains editorial responsibility. Aik is his AI assistant, helping with research, writing, translations, design and code. The site invites corrections and links to sources so readers can follow the evidence.
Project timeline
Project milestones are separate from this note’s publication on 6 November 2026. Dates follow the project records and Europe/Berlin calendar.
Project brief and technical foundation
The earliest reviewed project conversation begins with Mario’s briefing and a request for the folder structure and configuration, initially without page content. An earlier idea date is not established.
First implementation
The homepage timeline and the individual historical and regional chapters were built in successive, reviewed steps.
First public release
After Mario’s review and explicit approval, the first 13-page English version was published at erfurt.life.
A new visual design
The redesigned website went live with larger photographs, a more prominent timeline and consistent image cards.
Following the Gera
The Gera and the Making of Erfurt was published as a new chapter, illustrated with Mario’s photograph from the Geraaue.
Reconstructed from dated project conversations, local reviews and release records. Earlier ideas are dated only where documented.
