Museum Schloss Rosenstein

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Schloss Rosenstein was built as a royal country house for King Wilhelm I of Württemberg. The Florence-born court architect Giovanni Salucci supplied the design; the foundation stone was laid in 1824 and the inauguration followed in 1830. At the same time, the king had the surrounding park laid out in the English style; today, as Rosensteinpark, it is one of Stuttgart's large green spaces. Of the once lavish interior decoration, the main surviving element is the frieze running around the columned hall, depicting rural life in the kingdom.

The palace was badly damaged in World War II and later rebuilt. Since 1954 the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (State Museum of Natural History) has used the building for its biological exhibits. The museum traces its origins to a ducal natural history cabinet established in 1791, which opened to the public in 1817; its paleontology department is displayed in the nearby Museum am Löwentor.

A renovation completed in 1993 restored the palace's interior symmetry, after which the exhibition rooms were gradually redesigned until 2006. Today the tour leads from an evolution hall centered on an African elephant, through the systematic diversity of plants and animals, to the habitats of southwestern Germany and large dioramas of the Earth's landscape zones. A highlight is the marine hall with its 13-meter-long sei whale. The columned hall is also used as an event venue.

Highlights

• 13-meter-long sei whale in the marine hall
• Evolution hall with African elephant, panda, and thylacine (Tasmanian tiger)
• Large dioramas of rainforest, savanna, taiga, and polar regions
• Local habitats as a “walk-through field guide”
• Neoclassical columned hall with historic frieze

Permanent exhibitions

• Biologische Dauerausstellung – Tour from evolution and biodiversity through local habitats to the marine hall and dioramas of the Earth's major landscape zones.

Founded

1954

Operated by

Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart (Land Baden-Württemberg)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Wednesdays from 13:00 (not on public holidays).

Prices apply to one museum each (Schloss Rosenstein). Special terms for the Landesfamilienpass, Museums-PASS-Musées, StuttCard, Bonuscard + Kultur, and with a VVS subscription, Metropol day ticket, same-day bwtarif ticket, or Deutschlandticket. Online tickets are recommended due to high demand; card payment accepted. Public guided tours €5, reduced €3, plus admission. Dogs are not allowed in the exhibitions.

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

According to the museum, largely accessible for wheelchair users: level paths through Rosensteinpark, elevator to all floors, accessible restroom in the entrance area. In the Wilhelma parking garage, 8 accessible parking spaces on parking deck 3; in exceptional cases, driving up to the palace is possible after arranging it by phone. Loan wheelchairs and folding stools at the ticket desk. Tactile tours and tours in plain language and with German Sign Language (DGS) interpretation on fixed dates.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family tour for children ages 5 and up every Sunday at 15:00 (no registration needed), plus holiday activities during school holidays. The museum shop offers puzzle booklets and museum tours for children. Children's birthday parties from the 6th birthday for up to 10 children, booking by phone only. Children and young people get free admission.

Getting there & parking

The palace is in Rosensteinpark above the Wilhelma zoo and the Mineralbäder/Naturkundemuseum stop. According to the museum, it is about a 15-minute walk through the park to the Museum am Löwentor.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

No café; you may eat food you bring along in the lounge and in the salon with park views, and a water dispenser is available. Museum shop; coat check and lockers in the entrance area.

Events & venue rental

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

Up to 130 guests.

Columned hall (280 m², dinner for up to 130 people, 170 conference chairs) and lounge (approx. 70 m², up to 40 people). Rentals only after museum closing time (weekdays from 17:00, weekends from 18:00); free choice of caterer.

Plan your visit