city, Thuringia Land (state), central Germany. It lies along the Gera River, at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest, just southwest of Erfurt city. First mentioned in 704 and chartered in 1266, Arnstadt was bought in 1306 from the abbey of Hersfeld by the counts of Schwarzburg, who lived there until 1716. Their palace, Monplaisir (1703–07), survives, and the 12th–14th-century Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche) has a number of Schwarzburg graves. Several members of the Bach family worked in Arnstadt in the 17th century, including J.S. Bach (Bach, Johann Sebastian), who was organist of Boniface (now called Bach) Church from 1703 to 1707. The town hall dates from 1583–85. North of the city rise the castle-crowned peaks, the Three Alike (Drei Gleichen).

Once noted for its glove-manufacturing industries, Arnstadt now has a diversified industrial structure with both light and heavy manufacturing, including a foundry for rail brakes. There are many holiday and convalescent homes in the city and vicinity. Pop. (2005) 25,722.