Arnstadt, 20km/12.5mi south of Erfurt, known as the "gateway to the Thuringian Forest", is famed for its associations with Johann Sebastian Bach and its rich art collections.
In a landscape reserve extending on both sides of the motorway northwest of Arnstadt is the group of three castles known as the Drei Gleichen: the ruined Mühlburg (first mentioned in the records in 704), probably the oldest castle in Thuringia; Burg Gleichen, also ruined, the subject of many legends; and the Wachsenburg, now a hotel.
Johann Sebastian Bach was organist in the Bach Church (originally known as the New Church) in Arnstadt. In front of the church is the Hopfenbrunnen (Hop Fountain; 1573).
The Liebfrauenkirche (1180-1330) in Arnstadt is the finest 13th C church in Thuringia after the cathedral in Naumburg. In a style transitional between Romanesque and Gothic, it contains numerous works of art, including a Late Gothic altar.
The three-story Renaissance Town Hall (1581-83) in Arnstadt shows the influence of Dutch models. Nearby are galleries in Renaissance style, built in the late 16th C. as a cloth hall.