Weißensee

The landgrave town of Weißensee is located in the heart of Thuringia in the Erfurt Basin. The small town has always been The small town has always been of special importance, because it was geographically very favourably situated at the crossing point of the salt or copper road running from Nuremberg via Erfurt to Magdeburg and the connection between Eisenach and the Neuenburg in Freyburg an der Unstrut, which was important for the Ludovingian territory.

The town of Weissensee was founded around 1200 by the Ludowingian landgraves of Thuringia and is one of the most important town foundations in Thuringia in the 12th and 13th centuries. The starting point of the town's development was the enormous castle of the landgraves, which was soon to become a centre of Ludovingian power. Together with the castle, a first settlement with the parish church of St. Nikolai grew up on the eastern shore of the White Lake.

The foundation of the actual town was completed with the town hall and the town church of St. Peter & Paul to the east of the castle. Already mentioned in a document in 1174 as "wyssense", Weißensee received its town charter on 14 March 1265.