Blankenburger Street

You are now in the former imperial road which also served as the trade route between Nuremberg and Leipzig. In Nuremberg direction, it was known as Judenstrasse because it led over the small stream called Judenbach. In the direction of Leipzig it was called Jenensische Strasse.

Trade flourished and so did the Town of Saalfeld. Textiles, spices and salt were exchanged. In actual fact, long distance trading along this route was forbidden because Leipzig had exclusive storage rights and goods could only be sold there. But should that have been a reason for the town to fall into poverty? Salt, for example, came from mining regions further north and could easily be exchanged in distant lands for spices.
The people of Saalfeld traditionally used local spices from the surrounding meadows and forests as they always had. Spices such as cloves, dill, parsley, garlic, sage, mugwort and fennel, were used not only for trading but also, of course, in traditional home cooking.
And inns to the left and the right invited customers to stay overnight and exchange their horses. The fresco painting “The Merry Tipplers” which can be seen on the façade of the inn “Das Loch” on the left hand side of the street, illustrates even today the lively activity which took place in these former guest houses which were steeped in tradition.