Arnstadt has a beautifully kept old city, restricted to pedestrian traffic.
Its noteworthy buildings include:
the 13th-century Church of Our Lady
an 18th-century palace
the Bach Church (formerly the New Church)
The composer Johann Sebastian Bach, whose family lived for generations in the vicinity of Arnstadt, became the organist at the New Church in 1703 while he was still in his teens.
 He stayed there until 1707.
Bach had a high opinion of Johann Friedrich Wender, the organ-builder who had recently constructed the church's organ.
While there is some uncertainty about which of his surviving compositions were produced in Arnstadt, there is evidence that the Wender organ, which still survives, allowed Bach to experiment with unusual modulations and harmonies.
Many Bach scholars believe his well-known "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" was composed with the Arnstadt organ in mind.
Arnstadt has a beautifully kept old city, restricted to pedestrian traffic. Its noteworthy buildings include:
the 13th-century Church of Our Lady
an 18th-century palace
the Bach Church (formerly the New Church)
The composer Johann Sebastian Bach, whose family lived for generations in the vicinity of Arnstadt, became the organist at the New Church in 1703 while he was still in his teens.  He stayed there until 1707. Bach had a high opinion of Johann Friedrich Wender, the organ-builder who had recently constructed the church's organ. While there is some uncertainty about which of his surviving compositions were produced in Arnstadt, there is evidence that the Wender organ, which still survives, allowed Bach to experiment with unusual modulations and harmonies. Many Bach scholars believe his well-known "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" was composed with the Arnstadt organ in mind.
Arnstadt