Until its destruction in 1945, St. Michael's was the main church of the town of Ohrdruf. Today, only the church tower remains, which can be visited by appointment. The small library contains real treasures that are closely linked to Johann Sebastian Bach's time in Ohrdruf. One of these is the "Kirchen-Gesäng", a hymnal in folio format printed in 1584, which was given to the parish by Johann Christoph Bach's predecessor as organist. As the gift was signed by Johann Sebastian Bach's teacher and mentor, cantor Elias Herda, it is assumed that the young Johann Sebastian may have sung from this book. On the other hand, the handwritten sermons "The Imitation of Christ" by the Ohrdruf superintendent Johann Abraham Kromayer from 1696/97, which Bach heard in Ohrdruf and from which the pupils were quizzed, have been preserved. Bach's brother Johann Christoph filled the position of organist, which was passed on to two further generations of the Bach family after his death. During Johann Sebastian Bach's stay, the church organ was a kind of "permanent construction site" with his brother's involvement. Johann Pachelbel was entrusted with an organ inspection in 1693. His list of defects was expanded by Johann Christoph. The organ was not completed until 1706. In the course of this, Bach acquired the basics of organ building, which he was later able to incorporate into his organ tests and the design of the Mühlhausen organ.