Bach-Denkmal

The Bach monument stands in Mühlhausen, a town in Thuringia, beside the Divi-Blasii-Kirche on the Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Platz. Created by sculptor Klaus Friedrich Messerschmidt and unveiled in 2009, it features a life-size bronze figure of the young Bach wearing a wig. The figure balances with one foot on the upper plate of the travertine base and the other on the lower plate. The column bears the simple inscription J. S. BACH in capital letters. The monument marks the years Bach served as organist in Mühlhausen, from 1707 to 1708. It stands where local citizens once gathered to hear the composer play, linking past and present on the same square. Messerschmidt’s design captures Bach at the start of his career, before fame grew. The placement next to the church recalls the daily walk Bach would have taken to the instrument. Visitors find a quiet square framed by the church’s Gothic windows and the travertine column rising beside them. The bronze figure holds a folded sheet of music in one hand, while the other rests on the base. From the square the Divi-Blasii-Kirche towers overhead, its interior still echoing the music Bach played centuries ago. The bronze surface gleams in daylight, drawing the eye upward to the composer’s thoughtful gaze.