Dornheim is a community in the Ilm district and is located about four kilometers east of Arnstadt. Around 815 Dornheim was mentioned for the first time in a property deed of the Hersfeld monastery. Archaeological traces from the Neolithic Age prove an earlier human settlement of the Dornheimer Flur am Wolfsbach.

An absolute gem with significant Thuringian history is the Village church St. Bartholomew from the first half of the 12th century. When the visitor takes a first look at the church through the archway of the southern gatehouse, he is presented with an ensemble of archway, churchyard and church worth seeing, which radiates peace, quiet and homeliness. The church is given a special charm by the low red roof and the picturesque staircase to the first gallery. The bell tower and dormers also take away the austerity that churches sometimes exude. This idyllic place is significant as the wedding church of Johann Sebastian Bach and his cousin Maria Barbara Bach in October 1707.

In addition, a large Display board on the edge of the former estate commemorates the fate of the castle, which was demolished in 1948, the estate and the families who lived there. The Three Monarchs Monument opposite the demolished manor house commemorates the meeting of the Russian Tsar, the Austrian Emperor and the Prussian King in Dornheim in 1813.

Conveniently located, Dornheim is a good starting point for excursions to Arnstadt, Gotha, Erfurt and in the Thuringian Forest. Also the Pilgrimage In the footsteps of strong women from Erfurt to Paulinzella leads through the village.