An unconventional monument to the young Bach was unveiled to mark the 300th anniversary of the Baroque composer's birth. The bronze monument, which shows the young Bach casually lounging on a milestone - just as Bach came to Arnstadt at the age of 18 - caused much discussion.

The monument was created by sculptor Prof. Bernd Göbel. It pays tribute to the exceptional talent of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was appointed organist at the nearby Bach Church from 1703 to 1707. He was also responsible for testing and approving the newly built organ by Johann Friedrich Wendler. The post was Bach's first organist position.

The young Bach, as depicted in the monument, is said to have made too many whimsical variations of the chorale, mixed in strange sounds and thus annoyed the congregation. He also played for too long. As a result, he went to the other extreme and only offered short pieces for the service.

After many disagreements, he moved to the free imperial city of Mühlhausen in 1707, where a monument is dedicated to him on the Untermarkt.