Municipal museum in Hinterglauchau Castle with Schönburg domestic culture, the everyday life of the weavers, the Geipel art collection and an Agricola exhibition.
November 28, 2026 – January 31, 2027
Christmas exhibition with historical doll’s houses and toy shops, tin and wooden toys, Christmas decorations, play and painting stations, and a miniature landscape with a garden railway.
Hinterglauchau Castle goes back to a fortress built around 1180 by the lords of Schönburg above the Zwickauer Mulde river. Toward the end of the 15th century it was converted into a late Gothic residential castle with a great hall and castle chapel; in the Renaissance, stepped gables and oriel windows were added. The neighboring Forderglauchau Castle was built as an extension and became the residence of a separate line after the inheritance division of 1681. Until 1945 the complex remained in the possession of the House of Schönburg; today it belongs to the city of Glauchau.
The museum is one of the oldest in Saxony: the local trade association founded it in 1884. The collection changed locations several times and moved into Hinterglauchau Castle in 1940 after lengthy negotiations. Between 1943 and 1956, a donation from Paul Geipel, a Dresden physician and art collector, added an important art collection to the holdings.
Today the museum spans the entire Hinterglauchau complex, with about 1,860 square meters of exhibition space. On display are the history of the castle and its residents, the everyday life of the weavers, the development of noble living quarters from the Renaissance to Historicism, paintings and bronzes, and an exhibition on Georgius Agricola, the city's most famous son.
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Groups of 15 or more paying persons, school students aged 17 and over, people with severe disabilities (degree of disability 50 or higher), students, trainees, volunteer service participants, recipients of unemployment benefit or social assistance, holders of the Sozialpass and the Sächsische Ehrenamtskarte |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 16 · Children up to age 16 enter free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5companion free · From a degree of disability of 50%. |
| Students & apprentices | €5School students aged 17 and over, students and trainees; school classes as a group: €2 per person. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €5 per personFrom 15 paying persons. Castle tour €50 during opening hours, €70 outside them, in each case plus admission. |
| Families | –Holders of the Familienpass Sachsen enter free. |
Free admission is also granted to holders of the Schlösserlandkarte, members of the German Museums Association and ICOM, journalists with press ID, tour guides and bus drivers, and visitors on their birthday.
The museum is housed in a historic listed building, so accessibility is limited: there are many stairs, landings and, in places, cobblestones. The Christmas exhibition on the third floor can only be reached via a historic staircase.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 16 |
|---|
Educational programs for daycare centers and primary schools (e.g., a walk with an angel, a fairy-tale journey, an explorer tour, a flashlight tour; recommended age 5 to 12) by reservation, from €3 per child; plus creative activities or a treasure chest for material costs.
Bahnhof Glauchau · 15-min walk
About a 15-minute walk from Glauchau station (train connections to Zwickau, Chemnitz, Dresden and Leipzig).
Parking available
Ample public parking in the town center and on Paul-Geipel-Straße.
By car via the A4 (exits Glauchau Ost or West) and the B175; the castle is right next to the market square and town hall. Glauchau lies on the Mulderadweg cycle route.
Get directionsPublic parking and restaurants are located nearby.
Weddings take place in the Fireplace Room, the former dining room of the Schönburgs; questions about the castle go to the Schloss Museum, weddings are arranged through the Glauchau registry office.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 80 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Filming and photography for professional and commercial purposes requires written permission from the city of Glauchau. |
| Good to know | Audio tours of the museum and art collection are available in the app "Schlösserland erleben". Group tours by reservation (overview tour up to 80 minutes, theme tour on the building history 80 minutes). Smoking and open flames are prohibited in the museum; exhibits may not be touched. |
