Münzkabinett Dresden

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The beginnings of the Dresden coin collection date back to the reign of Duke George the Bearded in the early 16th century. Electors and kings of the House of Wettin expanded the holdings over generations; Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III in particular amassed tens of thousands of coins and medals. As early as the 18th century, the cabinet was among the most highly regarded of its kind in Europe and also became a center of numismatic research.

The collection moved several times: in 1743 to the Taschenbergpalais, in 1786 to the Japanisches Palais as part of the Museum Saxonicum, and in 1877 back to the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss). From 1911 to 1945 it was housed in the chancellery building on the Stallhof. After World War II, the Soviet trophy commission took the holdings to Moscow; they returned to Dresden in 1958 and were initially shown in the Albertinum.

As part of the reconstruction of the Royal Palace, the Coin Cabinet found a new home in the Georgenbau. Since 2015, the permanent exhibition there has presented around 3,300 objects in four rooms covering some 350 square meters. In total, the collection comprises around 300,000 items – coins, medals, banknotes, securities, decorations, and forgeries from antiquity to the present. The exhibition tells the history of money as political and cultural history, complemented by changing special exhibitions and a specialist library.

Highlights

• Lydian electrum lion – at over 2,500 years old, the oldest object in the Royal Palace
• 100-ducat coin of King Sigismund III of Poland (1621, about 348 grams of gold)
• Meissen bracteates as evidence of silver mining in the Ore Mountains
• Forged British pound note from "Operation Bernhard" at Sachsenhausen concentration camp
• Around 300,000 objects, about 3,300 of them in the permanent exhibition

Permanent exhibitions

• Münzkabinett – Dauerausstellung – In four rooms of the Georgenbau, around 3,300 coins, medals, banknotes, and decorations show how money has shaped history, politics, and propaganda from antiquity to today.

Founded

1530

Operated by

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Director

Dr. Sylvia Karges

Admission & discounts

The Coin Cabinet is accessible only with the Royal Palace house ticket (1 day), which covers all exhibitions in the palace, including special exhibitions such as "Krypto, was?" (except the Historic Green Vault). Free admission on your birthday.

Accessibility

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

The Coin Cabinet is on the third floor, reached from the elevator through the Riesensaal (Giants' Hall). Level entrance on Schloßstraße; entrance at the Bärengarten with a ramp. Three elevators (door width 90 cm) with floor announcements. Wheelchair-accessible restroom on the third floor near the Coin Cabinet. Two accessible parking spaces at the Bärengarten entrance. Guided tours for blind and visually impaired people, with sign language interpretation, and in Easy Language; tactile model of the palace with Braille in the Bärengarten.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties: not available

Digital "Residenzschloss Kindertour" (children's tour) in the free multimedia guide; guided tours of the Royal Palace can also be booked for family outings. No dedicated children's birthday program (within the Royal Palace, the Armory and the Green Vault offer them). Strollers are generally allowed, but entry may be refused when it is very crowded; nursing and baby changing facilities in every museum. Children may not be carried in back carriers or on shoulders; food, drinks, and larger diaper bags are not allowed in the exhibitions.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

In the Royal Palace: restaurant "Anna" in the former court wine cellar, museum bookshop. Free coat check and lockers, free Wi-Fi "MUSEUM_SKD".

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

No rental spaces are listed for the Coin Cabinet itself; other rooms in the Royal Palace are rented out by MSU Museen erleben GmbH.

Plan your visit