Deutsches Uhrenmuseum Glashütte
Museum on Glashütte watchmaking since 1845 in the building of the former German Watchmaking School, with an astronomical art clock.
About the museum
The museum is located in a building erected in 1881 that originally housed the Deutsche Uhrmacherschule Glashütte (German Watchmaking School), founded in 1878. Due to growing student numbers it was extended in 1923; after a roof fire in 1976 it was quickly restored. In East Germany it served as an engineering school for precision engineering.
In 2006 the foundation "Deutsches Uhrenmuseum Glashütte – Nicolas G. Hayek" was established. After the manufacturer Glashütte Original had renovated the building with the support of the Swatch Group, the museum opened on May 22, 2008. The Alfred Helwig watchmaking school of Glashütte Original operates in the same building.
The permanent exhibition "Faszination Zeit – Zeit erleben" shows, across two floors and roughly 1,000 m², more than 500 objects on the history of the watchmaking town since 1845 – from the Gründerzeit through the world wars and the East German period to after reunification. The pieces come from the collections of the town of Glashütte, the manufacturer Glashütte Original, and lenders; the showpiece in the foyer is the astronomical art clock by Hermann Goertz.
Highlights
- Astronomical art clock by Hermann Goertz with 1,756 individual parts
- More than 500 watches, chronometers, tools, and documents
- Demonstration workshop and multimedia projection table showing the assembly of a mechanical watch
- Historic building of the German Watchmaking School of 1881
- Audio guide in four languages, also for children
Permanent exhibitions
- Faszination Zeit – Zeit erleben – More than 500 objects on two floors tell the story of Glashütte watchmaking since 1845, with history rooms, time rooms, and a demonstration workshop.
- Founded
- 2008
- Operated by
- Stiftung „Deutsches Uhrenmuseum Glashütte – Nicolas G. Hayek“
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5.50School students, university students, people with severe disabilities, and unemployed people with ID |
| Children & teens | €5.50free up to age 6 · Children up to 6 years free, school students pay the reduced price. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5.50Reduced admission with a severe disability ID. |
| Students & apprentices | €5.50 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5.50 per personTour guides and bus drivers free. |
| Families | €14.501 adult with children up to 16 years. |
| Family ticket (2 adults with children up to 16 years) | €18 |
| Partner annual pass | €30 |
| Audio guide | €2.50per device |
| Public guided tour | €3per person plus admission, with registration |
| Group tour in German | €75per group (up to 25 people) plus admission |
| Group tour in a foreign language | €100per group (up to 25 people) plus admission |
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Accessible entrance via the side entrance in the glass extension on Schillerstraße (please ring the bell, staff will accompany you to the elevator). Elevator with a door width of at least 90 cm, accessible restroom on the first floor, accessible parking space behind the building. Rollators and reading glasses can be borrowed free of charge; seating in the exhibitions, mobile stools.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €14.50 · 1 adult with children up to 16 years. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Baby changing facilities
Free museum quiz in three difficulty levels for children aged 5 and up (ask at the ticket desk) and a children's audio guide. During school holidays, family tours and holiday programs (€3 per person plus admission, with registration). Programs for daycare centers and schools, partly combined with the watchmaking school. Baby changing table in the accessible restroom in the foyer.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Glashütte Bahnhof · 300 m
From Dresden by S-Bahn S1 to Heidenau, there change to the RB 72 toward Altenberg to Glashütte Bahnhof. Alternatively, regional bus 360 to Dippoldiswalde bus station and onward by bus 388 to Glashütte.
By car
Free parking
Free parking around the museum (parking disc required); bus parking in front of the entrance, accessible parking space behind the building, EV charging station at the nearby bus station.
- Accessible parking
By car via the A 17, Pirna interchange, then through the Müglitz valley to Glashütte; alternatively via Dippoldiswalde or Altenberg. Glashütte is about 30 km south of Dresden.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Lockers
Lockers in the foyer in various sizes (€1 deposit). Online shop on the museum website.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, CS, ZH) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Private photos without flash and tripod allowed; commercial recordings only with written permission. |
| Good to know | Exhibition texts in German and English. Audio guide with 49 stations, also as a children's version. Public tours on Saturdays at 14:00 and on selected weekdays at 11:00 (registration required); group tours for up to 25 people by advance booking. On the first Thursday of the month at 11:00 the astronomical art clock is wound publicly in the foyer (free of charge). Food and drinks are not welcome in the exhibition rooms. |
