The world's oldest Bach monument has stood close to the St. Thomas Church since 1843.
The idea of erecting a monument in honour of the former St. Thomas choirmaster in Leipzig was first formulated by Mendelssohn in a letter in 1838 with the words: "J. S. Bach was a capital fellow. We want to have a small memorial erected here in front of the St. Thomas School for him." Much of the money needed was collected through three charity concerts, including a concert at the Gewandhaus with the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
The sandstone monument with its four-sided relief shows different motifs of Bach. Herrmann Knaur, a Leipzig sculptor, built it according to the design by Eduard Bendemann, Ernst Rietschel and Julius Hübner. The inauguration took place on 23 April 1843 near the St. Thomas School.