Baroque residence palace of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen with living quarters, an art collection and music history – the main site of the Meininger Museen.
April 3, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Major exhibition marking the 200th birthday of the "Theaterherzog", with paintings, drawings, costumes and documents on his life, his politics and his theater reform.
October 4, 2026 – January 11, 2027
Final part of the drawing series, with the duke's designs for dynamic crowd scenes on stage, hung low next to the playroom.
From October 18, 2026
Textile artists from Meiningen and their course groups engage with objects from the storage depots and with the figure of the duke.
The Meininger Museen were established in 1947, when the art holdings of Schloss Elisabethenburg and the Baumbachhaus were merged into a municipal museum. Their foundation was the palace's historic rooms, open to the public since 1918, and the collection of the Hennebergischer altertumsforschender Verein (Henneberg antiquarian society), founded by Ludwig Bechstein in 1832. Since 1997 the museums have belonged to the Kulturstiftung Meiningen-Eisenach, which is supported by the State of Thuringia, the town of Meiningen and the district.
The main site is Schloss Elisabethenburg, which Duke Bernhard I had built between 1682 and 1692, after the founding of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, on the site of an older moated castle; only the Renaissance north wing (Bibra-Bau) survives from the earlier building. Later alterations added neoclassical and historicist rooms. Guests such as Schiller, Brahms, Liszt and Queen Victoria connected the small court with European cultural life.
Today the palace presents the ducal living quarters, especially those of the "Theaterherzog" (theater duke) Georg II, along with paintings, furniture and porcelain from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century. A particular focus is the music history of the Meiningen Court Orchestra with Hans von Bülow, Richard Strauss and Max Reger, whose archive is held in Meiningen; historic instruments can also be heard.
The group also includes the Theatermuseum in the former riding hall and the Baumbachhaus, which is currently being converted into a town museum. A German theater museum is being created with public funding in the palace's Riesensaal (Giants' Hall).
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4.50School students (ages 7–18), apprentices, university students, people with severe disabilities, holders of a social pass |
| Children & teens | €4.50free up to age 6 · Children up to age six free; reduced admission from age 7. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €4.50Reduced admission on presentation of a severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis). |
| Students & apprentices | €4.50 |
| Groups (5+ people) | €5 per personAdditional guided tour fee: €25 (60 min.), €35 (90 min.), tour in English €50; max. 25 people per tour. |
| Families | –Family ticket only available as a combination ticket with the Theatermuseum (€13). |
| Combination ticket Schloss Elisabethenburg + Theatermuseum | €9Reduced €7 |
| Family combination ticket (parents and children) | €13 |
| Weekend ticket | €10 |
| Annual pass | €30 |
| Loan device for the digital guide | €2Free on your own smartphone. |
Special exhibitions are included in admission. School classes free (except vocational schools and universities); daycare and school programs €2 per child.
An external elevator provides access to all exhibition levels during opening hours; from the fourth floor, 33 steps still lead up to the tower café in the Hessensaal. Accessible parking spaces in front of the palace and at the Klostergasse parking lot.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
Children's tour with Bernie the dragon and AR stations in the digital guide. Play room "Spielwelt Schloss" with costumes, wooden horses, a drawing corner, and books. Children's birthday party as a prince/princess tour for ages 4–12 (approx. 60 minutes plus playtime). Costume tours and workshops for daycare centers and elementary schools. Children up to age 6 free, family combination ticket.
Meiningen station, from there about a 10–15-minute walk; alternatively, city bus toward the city center.
Parking available
The Zentrum-West lot "Am Mittleren Rasen" is recommended (2–3 minutes on foot); on the traffic-calmed Schlossplatz, park only in marked areas. Three free tour bus parking spaces directly in front of Schloss Elisabethenburg.
Turmcafé in the Hessensaal (about 60 seats, accessible even without an admission ticket).
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Digital guide as an app with art, music, children's, and Georg II tours (German/English). Group tours (palace tour 60 or 90 minutes, ages 12 and up) and children's birthday parties by registration at 03693 881030 or besucherservice@meiningermuseen.de. |
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