Schlossmuseum Arnstadt

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Prince Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen had the Neues Palais built from 1729 as a future dower residence for his wife Elisabeth Albertine; the three-winged Baroque building was inaugurated in 1734. Besides living quarters, it served to display the princely art collections.

After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the palace passed into public ownership. In 1919 a museum foundation was established that merged the princely holdings with the collections of the Arnstadt Museumsverein (museum association), founded in 1894. Since then, the reconstructed rooms of the southern piano nobile have displayed furniture, paintings, Flemish tapestries, East Asian and Meissen porcelain and Baroque glass; the highlight is the white-and-gold ballroom.

The museum is famous for "Mon plaisir": from 1697, Princess Auguste Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt had an entire miniature town made with courtly and middle-class scenes, which today comprises 82 rooms with several hundred figures and more than 3,500 objects. Since 2022 the collection has been undergoing restoration with funding from the federal government, the state and the city; since January 2025 the rooms are no longer on view, and an interim exhibition shows selected pieces and the progress of the work.

Since 2009, an exhibition in the attic story has commemorated Johann Sebastian Bach's years as organist in Arnstadt; its central piece is the console of the organ Bach played.

Highlights

• Doll city "Mon plaisir" of Princess Auguste Dorothea (currently an interim exhibition)
• White-and-gold ballroom of the Baroque palace
• Porcelain cabinet with East Asian and Meissen porcelain
• Flemish tapestries of the 16th century
• Bach exhibition with a historic organ console

Permanent exhibitions

• Interimsausstellung Mon plaisir – While the doll city is being restored, a temporary exhibition shows selected pieces and provides information about the project.
• Barocke Beletage und Festsaal – Reconstructed rooms with furniture, paintings, tapestries and porcelain from princely ownership.
• Hörbarer Glaube – Johann Sebastian Bach in Arnstadt – An exhibition on Bach's years as organist in Arnstadt and on life in the Baroque residence town, featuring the historic organ console.

Founded

1919

Operated by

Kulturbetrieb Arnstadt

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Thüringer Mehrkindfamilienkarte (Thuringian large-family card) and the Arnstädter Freizeitpass. 50% discount on museum tours when booked together with a city tour.

Accessibility

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

No information on wheelchair accessibility has been published. According to the Thuringia museum portal, tours of "Mon plaisir" for blind and visually impaired visitors were available by appointment.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Children's audio guide with Felix the field mouse and Lilly the palace mouse (9 stops, izi.travel app). In the Children's Museum Club, children and young people aged 6 to 16 meet monthly for a creative workshop.

Getting there & parking

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

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 40 guests.

Civil weddings in the Baroque antechamber (up to 40 guests) from April to October via the Arnstadt registry office (tel. 03628 745-845); photos in the ballroom or palace garden.

Plan your visit