Arnstadt

Arnstadt
Church of St. Boniface (J.S. Bach)
Arnstadt
Location of the town of Arnstadt within Ilm-Kreis district
Coordinates	50°50′3″N 10°56′47″E / 50.83417°N 10.94639°E / 50.83417; 10.94639Coordinates: 50°50′3″N 10°56′47″E / 50.83417°N 10.94639°E / 50.83417; 10.94639
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Ilm-Kreis
Town subdivisions	6
Mayor	Hans-Christian Köllmer
Basic statistics
Area	55.29 km2 (21.35 sq mi)
Elevation	288 m  (945 ft)
Population	25,000 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	452 /km2 (1,171 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	IK
Postal codes	99301–99310
Area code	03628
Website	www.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.

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

The town hosts an annual high jump meet – Hochsprung mit Musik – which attracts some of the world's foremost high jumpers. Kajsa Bergqvist set a world record in Arnstadt's Sporthalle am Jahn-sportpark in 2006.^[2]

History

This section requires expansion.

In the 14th century Arnstadt was ruled by the counts of Schwarzburg and later became a capital of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

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.

Main sights

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.

People

• Johann Sebastian Bach
• Willibald Alexis
• Ludwig Bechstein

Twinnings

• Dubí, Czech Republic
• Gurk, Austria
• Kassel, Germany
• Le Bouscat, France

References

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arnstadt

v d e Towns and municipalities in Ilm-Kreis Alkersleben • Altenfeld • Angelroda • Arnstadt • Böhlen • Bösleben-Wüllersleben • Dornheim • Elgersburg • Elleben • Elxleben • Frankenhain • Frauenwald • Friedersdorf • Gehlberg • Gehren • Geraberg • Geschwenda • Gillersdorf • Gossel • Gräfenroda • Großbreitenbach • Herschdorf • Ichtershausen • Ilmenau • Ilmtal • Kirchheim • Langewiesen • Liebenstein • Martinroda • Möhrenbach • Neusiß • Neustadt am Rennsteig • Osthausen-Wülfershausen • Pennewitz • Plaue • Rockhausen • Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig • Stadtilm • Stützerbach • Wachsenburggemeinde • Wildenspring • Wipfratal • Witzleben • Wolfsberg

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