Bach House Eisenach

Set within a 550-year-old half-timbered house, the Bach House in Eisenach explores the life and work of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The building was mistakenly identified as Bach’s birth house in the 19th century and was opened as the world’s first museum dedicated to Bach in 1907. It has grown into the world’s largest exhibition on the locally-born composer, with more than 250 original exhibits and a meticulously reconstructed “Bach Library.”

Step inside the charming Bach House to discover the history of the residence and admire the unique instruments on display, which include an 18th-century glass harmonica and a violin with a built-in trumpet from 1717. Learn about Bach’s studies in Ohrdruf and Lüneburg, as well as the positions he held in Weimar and Leipzig, and admire the original librettos, spectacles and the famous Bach Goblet that are highlights of the exhibit.

Live music is performed hourly at the museum, or you can be immersed in Bach’s music in one of the floating “bubble chairs.” There’s also a walk-in musical presentation where you can experience four Bach performances via a 180° projection, including a rehearsal by the St. Thomas’ Boys’ Choir.

Be sure to see the original Bach autograph on display and the first edition of the “Art of the Fugue,” as well as original paintings and copperplate engravings de-picting the composer. The house is surrounded by a baroque garden that dates to 1907 and it’s here that the charming Café Kantate is found where you can relax with a drink after your museum visit.