Mühlhausen

Mühlhausen lies on the Unstrut in the fertile Thuringian Basin. An imperial city in the later Middle Ages, it became a centre of religious and political conflict during the Reformation. Heinrich Pfeiffer preached at St Mary's in 1523, followed by Thomas Müntzer in 1524. The existing council was displaced by an "Eternal Council" during the German Peasants' War.

After the uprising's defeat, Müntzer and other leaders were executed in 1525 and the city lost part of its independence. The Reformation was imposed in 1542. War and changing trade routes contributed to later decline, though civic life continued: Johann Sebastian Bach served as organist at Divi Blasii in 1707–1708. In 1803 the city formally lost its imperial independence and became part of Prussia.