Arnstadt

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Arnstadt
Image:Wappen Arnstadt.png

Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Ilm-Kreis
Population	25,828 (2005)
Area	55.29 km²
Population density	467 /km²
Elevation	288 m
Coordinates	50°50′ N 10°57′ E
Postal code	99301-99310
Area code	03628
Mayor	Hans-Christian Köllmer
Website	arnstadt.de

Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest. In the 14th century Arnstadt was ruled by the counts of Schwarzburg and later became the capital of Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen.

Modern Arnstadt has a population of approximately 25,000. It is a manufacturing center, with glassworks and foundaries, as well as glove-manufacturing and wood-finishing businesses. Manganese is one of the ores mined in the vicinity.

Arnstadt has a beautifully kept Old City, restricted to pedestrian traffic. Some of its noteworthy buildings include the 13th-century Church of Our Lady and an 18th-century palace. Johann Sebastian Bach was organist in the early 1700's at the Church of St. Boniface.

[edit] People

Eugenie Marlitt
Willibald Alexis
Ludwig Bechstein
Paul Keller

The composer Johann Sebastian Bach, whose family lived for generations in the vicinity of Arnstadt, began his musical career in the city. Most Bach scholars believe his well-known "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" was written here between 1703 and 1709.