Museum Naturalienkabinett Waldenburg

About the museum

From the 1830s, Prince Otto Victor I of Schönburg-Waldenburg sought to acquire collections for a cabinet of his own, modeled on the great natural history cabinets. His most important purchase was the art and natural history collection of the Leipzig apothecary family Linck, which had been built up since 1670 and came to Waldenburg in 1841. After the riding hall initially used proved insufficient, the prince had a dedicated building constructed in 1845/46 – one of the oldest surviving museum buildings in Germany.

On the upper floor, the display cases were set up in six consecutive rooms, and this arrangement has been preserved largely unchanged to this day. Until 1945, the princely family added natural history holdings and ethnographic objects to the collection, including from trips to the then German colonies. In the 1930s, the presentation was reorganized and the Linck-Zimmer was furnished as an idealized Baroque collector's room; the collection of the local Gewerbe- und Altertumsverein (trade and antiquities association) found a place on the ground floor.

The cabinet survived the Second World War without major losses and passed to the town of Waldenburg in 1948. In GDR times, local history moved to the foreground. A federally funded restoration project saved thousands of objects from 2009 to 2011; since 2009 the historic ensemble of rooms has been under monument protection.

After the renovation of the ground floor, a modern accompanying exhibition opened in 2018, now called the "Neues Naturalienkabinett", which conveys the history of the collection with interactive stations and animated narrator figures.

Highlights

• Historic natural history cabinet in six rooms with original display cases from 1846
• Baroque cabinet of curiosities of the Leipzig apothecary family Linck
• Egyptian mummy Shep-en-Hor
• Neues Naturalienkabinett with hands-on stations and animated narrator figures
• Audio guides also in Easy Language and for blind people

Permanent exhibitions

• Historisches Naturalienkabinett – Six rooms with densely filled original display cases from around 1846, including the Baroque Linck collection in the Linck-Zimmer – a listed museum within the museum.
• Neues Naturalienkabinett – Modern exhibition on the ground floor that explains the history of the building and its collections with hands-on stations and animated narrators.

Operated by

Stadt Waldenburg

Director

Simon Bucher

Admission & discounts

Admission covers the modern permanent exhibition and the Historisches Naturalienkabinett. Free admission includes members of the WunderkammerRat e.V., the German and Saxon museum associations, and ICOM, as well as companions of school classes. Group tours from €35 plus admission (60 minutes, up to €50 depending on day and time), short introduction €15.

Accessibility

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

According to the museum, the historic building is not accessible; there is one step at the entrance, and thresholds of 4 to 8 cm on the ground floor. For wheelchair users as well as blind and visually impaired guests, there are separate floor plans, plus directions from the bus stop, loanable tactile relief plans with Braille, tactile objects, and a tactile book on the mummy. Assistance dogs and guide dogs for the blind are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

In the Neues Naturalienkabinett, hands-on stations invite visitors to try things out. During school holidays there are programs for elementary school children, as well as children's birthday parties (from age 5, about 2 hours) and flashlight tours. Strollers stay on the forecourt or in the entrance area; babies are best carried in a baby carrier or wrap in the exhibition rooms. Children under 6 only accompanied by adults.

Getting there & parking

By car from the A4 or A72 via the B180/B175; the museum is located opposite Schloss Waldenburg. Bicycle racks (uncovered) on the forecourt, e-bike charging stations at the Töpferplatz.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum shop with publications at the ticket desk, which also has tourist information. Umbrellas, bags, and larger luggage belong in the coat check.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit