Köthen — Abel’s birthplace, where Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos

Historic village+ Contribute a photo
Köthen, Germany · 0 places documented
Köthen — Abel's birthplace, where Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos

Köthen is in this archive for its events: 1 published here, with their dates.

What this page is

This page gathers what Cultural Heritage Online documents in Köthen, Germany: the entries are the ones already published, each with its own sources, its position and its photographs. It is the shortest way to everything we hold in the city, and it is updated as the archive grows.

Why visit

Köthen is the birthplace of Carl Friedrich Abel, born on 22 December 1723, the renowned player of the viola da gamba. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote parts of the Well-Tempered Clavier and of the Brandenburg Concertos in this town.

Origins and history

The oldest witness of human presence in the area is a hand axe about 250,000 years old, kept in the prehistoric collection in Köthen castle; settlement sites of cultures that already farmed and kept cattle 5,000 years ago have also been found. The first mention of Köthen is found in several chronicles that report, under the year 1115, the Ascanian hold on the place. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote parts of the Well-Tempered Clavier and of the Brandenburg Concertos here.

Key facts

  • Country: Germany
  • Region: Saxony-Anhalt
  • Places in this archive: 0
  • Centre of the documented entries: 51.7516°N, 11.9741°E

What is on in Köthen

Sources

The dates and the titles above are our own record. The history on this page rests on the two sources listed.

Editorial text © Cultural Heritage Online, 2026. No hero image in this first build: an image of the city is added only with an author and a verified licence.

➤ Take me there Opens Google Maps navigation from where you are — on foot, by bike, by transit or by car

📷 Become a Cultural Heritage Online photographer

Share your photos of places: they stay published under your name as the author. The more they're seen, the more you get noticed — and soon a contest will reward the most appreciated photos.

Log in or sign up free to add a photo
📋 Copy & share on social
Scroll to Top