Barockschloss Rammenau

About the museum

Chamberlain Ernst Ferdinand von Knoch acquired the Rittergut (manor estate) of Rammenau in 1717 and had the baroque palace built from 1721; the architect is said to be Johann Christoph Knöffel. Heavy debts forced Knoch to flee in 1744. The unfinished palace passed to the von Hoffmann family, who completed the building and later called themselves “von Hoffmannsegg.”

After the sale in 1794, Friedrich von Kleist had several rooms remodeled in the neoclassical style and transformed the formal garden into an English landscape park. During World War I the building served as a military hospital. After 1945 the owning family was expropriated; the rooms were used by a school, an art college, and a rural study center.

In 1967 a history museum opened in the palace with an exhibition on Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and the palace restaurant followed in 1968. Since the 1990s the complex has belonged to the Free State of Saxony. Since summer 2025, the new permanent exhibition “Kuhstall und Silberteller” has told the story of everyday life for the lords and the servants.

Highlights

• New permanent exhibition “Kuhstall und Silberteller – Adel und Alltag in Rammenau”
• Baroque and neoclassical salons with wall paintings and a Hall of Mirrors
• English-style landscape park with palace pond
• Historic servants' kitchen with wood-fired oven and children's activities
• Palace café in the historic dining rooms and on the terrace

Permanent exhibition

• Kuhstall und Silberteller – Adel und Alltag in Rammenau – The tour contrasts the life of the lords with that of the servants, with peep-box display cases, interactive stations, scenes, and audio stations.

Founded

1967

Operated by

Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und Gärten Sachsen gGmbH (Schlösserland Sachsen)

Admission & discounts

Admission to the palace grounds also applies when visiting the palace café. Free admission is granted to, among others, birthday visitors, holders of the schlösserlandKARTE, journalists, and members of ICOM, ICOMOS, and Museumsbund (proof required). Guided tours for groups of fewer than 15 people have a minimum fee of €75.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The park and outdoor areas are accessible (historic paving, tree roots on park paths), and there is an accessible restroom there. Parts of the permanent exhibition on the first floor are wheelchair-suitable; the piano nobile on the second floor cannot be reached without barriers. The historic dining rooms can be reached by a stair lift; the museum shop in the gatehouse is accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

The permanent exhibition is designed for young and old visitors, with interactive stations and play equipment in the Meierhof. Holiday programs such as “Ferienspaß Königskinder,” with children's cooking in the servants' kitchen, a downloadable coloring and puzzle picture, and children's birthday parties from age 6.

Getting there & parking

The nearest major city is Dresden (46 km away).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Palace café in the historic dining rooms and on the terrace, serving regional cuisine; museum shop in the gatehouse.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 130 guests.

Rentable spaces include the Hall of Mirrors (up to 130 seats in rows), the historic dining rooms, the Meierhof (farmyard), the attic of the Kavaliershaus, and the pavilion by the palace pond; civil weddings and overnight stays in the palace suite are possible.

Plan your visit