Augustus the Strong's Baroque treasure chamber in Dresden's Royal Palace – the Historic and New Green Vault, filled with gold, jewels and precious objects.
July 16, 2026 – January 3, 2027
The show in the Sponselraum of the New Green Vault is devoted to the often bizarrely shaped welcome cups from which guests at the Dresden court were obliged to drink, and to the courtly drinking customs of the Renaissance and Baroque.
From 1723, Augustus the Strong had the “Geheime Verwahrung” (secret repository) on the ground floor of the Dresden Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), until then used as a storeroom, converted into a treasure chamber. By 1729, with the involvement of Zwinger architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, a sequence of eight lavishly decorated rooms had been created in which the Elector and King staged his most precious goldsmiths' works, jewels and Kunstkammer pieces. As early as the 1720s, selected guests could view the rooms in small groups – making the Green Vault one of the earliest publicly accessible museums in Europe.
During the air raids of February 1945, the palace largely burned out; three of the treasure chamber rooms were destroyed, but the holdings had previously been moved to Königstein Fortress. After the war, the Red Army took the objects to the Soviet Union; they returned to Dresden in 1958. In East Germany, part of the collection was shown in the Albertinum.
With the reconstruction of the Royal Palace, the treasure chamber returned to its original location: in 2004, the New Green Vault opened on the 2nd floor with a modern display in glass cases, followed in 2006 by the Historic Green Vault in the faithfully reconstructed Baroque rooms, which, because of the climate lock and room climate, can only be entered with timed-entry tickets. A break-in in 2019, in which parts of the Baroque jewelry sets were stolen, made headlines far beyond the region; most of the items were recovered at the end of 2022.
Today the two sections of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden together display around 4,000 objects made of gold, silver, gemstones, ivory, amber and rock crystal. From 2023 to 2029, the museum is celebrating its 300th anniversary.
| Adults | €18 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €13.50University students and school students aged 20 and over, people doing voluntary service, people with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more, recipients of Bürgergeld (citizen's income) and social assistance, holders of the Dresden-Pass, Leipzig-Pass, Sächsische Ehrenamtskarte (Saxon volunteer card), SparkassenCard and others |
| Children & teens | €2Children free until they start school; school students under 20 pay €2. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount on single tickets; reduced SKD annual pass (€70) with a pensioner ID. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €13.50companion free · Reduced price with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more; companion free with the “B” marker. |
| Students & apprentices | €13.50Reduced price; students of certain art academies and departments are admitted free. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €16 per personGroup price for 10 or more people (timed ticket for the Historic Green Vault and Residenzschloss house ticket). |
| Families | –No family ticket; holders of the Familienpass Sachsen (Saxon family pass) with a registered child are admitted free. |
Two tickets: timed ticket for the Historic Green Vault (€18 / concession €13.50 / school students €2, audio guide included) with a fixed entry time; the New Green Vault is included in the Residenzschloss house ticket (€18 / concession €13.50), which also covers the Armory (Rüstkammer), State Apartments (Paraderäume), Coin Cabinet, Kupferstich-Kabinett and Hausmannsturm tower. Combined ticket house ticket + Historic Green Vault €28 (SparkassenCard €21, school students €4). Evening ticket “Blaue Stunde” for both vaults on Fridays 16:30–19:00: €21 / concession €16 / school students €4. SKD day ticket €28 (excluding the Historic Green Vault); SKD annual pass €95 (concession €45, university students €25, seniors €70) including the Historic Green Vault within a time slot. Free admission on your birthday.
Step-free access via Schloßstraße and Sophienstraße (Bärengarten, ramp with a 6% incline); all floors reachable by elevator (floor announcements, no tactile markings). Historic Green Vault on the ground floor, New Green Vault on the 2nd floor. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms in the basement and on the 3rd floor. Two accessible parking spaces at the Taschenberg/Sophienstraße entrance. Induction loops, tactile model of the palace with Braille, companion book with tactile maps; guides with sign language, audio description and in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache). Tours for blind and visually impaired people, with sign language interpretation, in Easy Language and for people with dementia. Heavy, non-automatic doors in the museum.
Great for kids & families
Children's tour of the Royal Palace on the multimedia guide, family afternoons and holiday programs of the SKD, children's birthday parties (e.g. designing treasure boxes or jewelry; approx. 2 hours, max. 8 children). Nursing and baby changing facilities. Strollers allowed, though entry with them may be refused when it is very crowded; back carriers and carrying children on shoulders are not allowed.
Theaterplatz
Tram/bus to Theaterplatz (including lines 4, 8, 9) or Altmarkt; train stations Dresden Hauptbahnhof and Dresden-Neustadt
Parking available
No on-site parking; the SKD refer visitors to various public parking options nearby (City of Dresden parking information system).
Café next to the museum shop in the entrance area (Bärengarten); Restaurant “Anna” in the former court wine cellar of the Royal Palace; Walther König bookshop. Free cloakroom (bags larger than 20 × 15 × 10 cm must be checked) and lockers (€1/€2 coin). Free Wi-Fi “MUSEUM_SKD”, except in the Historic Green Vault.
Up to 150 guests.
Rentals through MSU Museen erleben GmbH: the Vorgewölbe (antechamber) of the Historic Green Vault (305 m², standing reception up to 150, banquet up to 40 people; standing reception only with evening opening) and the foyer of the New Green Vault (up to 50 people) – each outside opening hours, can be combined with exclusive private tours.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Prohibited in the Historic Green Vault; allowed for private purposes in the other permanent exhibitions without flash, tripod or selfie stick |
Cookies help you use this website. We only load the map and statistics with your consent.
