Erfurter Blau – Waid-Manufaktur

Rosanna Minelli runs her woad-dyeing workshop, Erfurter Blau, from the Krämerbrücke, Erfurt's historic merchant bridge. Erfurt's medieval prosperity was built substantially on woad — the plant that yields natural blue dye — which was cultivated across the Thuringian Basin from roughly the 9th through the 19th century; the city's old town still carries visible traces of that legacy.

Minelli sources woad leaves from Rose Saatzucht Erfurt's Demeter-certified organic cultivation at the city's edge, extracts the dye herself, and hand-dyes silk and wool scarves and cotton home textiles in the resulting blue. She collaborates with regional artisans and international designers, and runs dyeing workshops both in Erfurt and further afield in the Harz region, teaching the woad process and natural-material coloring directly.

The workshop's own site carries a closure notice: Minelli writes that it will soon be the last time she can open the door to "Erfurter Blau," describing the moment as both welcome and sad, though no specific closing date is given. This is a live status change worth flagging for the registry rather than a stable, ongoing business fact.