December 1, 2026 – March 7, 2027
Von Murmeln bis Minecraft. Kinderspiele gestern und heute
This exhibition in the palace museum traces how children's play has changed from simple toys to computer games and what it reveals about its time.
Residenzschloss Altenburg
Baroque residential palace above Altenburg with a palace museum, playing card museum, banqueting halls, porcelain collection, and a palace church with a Trost organ.
Opening hoursAdmission from €8 Wheelchair accessible Café
Current exhibitions
About the museum
The complex stands on a porphyry rock above the town, the site of an earlier Slavic fortification. The castle is first mentioned in 976; in the 12th century Frederick Barbarossa expanded it into an imperial palace and stayed here several times. From 1307 it belonged to the Wettin dynasty. It became famous through the Saxon Prince Abduction (Sächsischer Prinzenraub) of 1455, when the knight Kunz von Kauffungen kidnapped the young princes Ernst and Albrecht.
In the first half of the 18th century, the dukes of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg had the castle remodeled into a Baroque residential palace. The organ by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost was built in the palace church between 1735 and 1739. From 1826 to 1918 the palace was the seat of the dukes of Saxe-Altenburg; after a fire in 1868, the banqueting hall, among other parts, was rebuilt.
After the last duke abdicated, the palace museum was established in 1919, based on the ducal armory and cabinet of antiquities. The playing card collection was added in 1923 – Altenburg is considered the home of the card game Skat. After 1945, a large part of the playing cards was lost as war reparations, but targeted collecting rebuilt it into one of the most important holdings of its kind.
Since 2020, the palace and the Lindenau-Museum have formed the Kommunale Arbeitsgemeinschaft Altenburger Museen (municipal association of Altenburg museums). Today visitors can see princely living quarters, the banqueting hall and the Bach Hall, porcelain and the Baroque Sibyllenkabinett, clocks, militaria, and the towers of the complex.
Highlights
- Palace church with the Baroque Trost organ
- Playing card museum in the hometown of Skat
- Banqueting hall from 1869 and wood-paneled Bach Hall
- Baroque Sibyllenkabinett and porcelain collection
- Scene of the Saxon Prince Abduction of 1455
- Hausmannsturm tower with views over Altenburg
Permanent exhibitions
- Fürstliche Wohnkultur, Festsäle und Schlosskirche – Tour through state rooms from the 17th to the 19th century, the banqueting hall, the Bach Hall, and the palace church with the Trost organ.
- Spielkartenmuseum – History, production, and design of playing cards, and the origins of Skat in Altenburg.
- Porzellane und Sibyllenkabinett – The palace's porcelain collection and the restored Baroque Sibyllenkabinett.
- Founded
- 1919
- Operated by
- Kommunale Arbeitsgemeinschaft Altenburger Museen
- Director
- Dr. Roland Krischke (Direktor der Altenburger Museen)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6School students, university students, trainees/apprentices, people with severe disabilities (“B” marker), holders of the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card), members of museum associations |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children under 7 free; school students pay the reduced price. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6Reduced for people with severe disabilities with the “B” marker; no information on companions. |
| Students & apprentices | €6 |
| Groups (12+ people) | €7 per personFrom 12 people; group bookings for 15 or more via online form. School classes €1 per child (up to 30 children, 2 chaperones free), guided tour €10 per class. |
| Families | €15Max. 2 adults and up to 5 children under 18 |
| Guided tour of the banqueting halls and palace church with organ demonstration | €3Surcharge per person |
| Combination ticket for the Residenzschloss and Rote Spitzen | €10Reduced €8 |
| Rote Spitzen | €5Reduced €3, family €10, guided tour €3 |
| Tower climb (Hausmannsturm, Flaschenturm, or Nikolaiturm) | €2Reduced €1 per tower |
| Annual pass | €30Reduced €25 |
| Combination ticket Altenburg museums | €9Palace museum and playing card museum plus the Lindenau special exhibition in the Prinzenpalais; listed only on the Lindenau-Museum website |
The ticket is valid for the palace museum and the playing card museum.
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
Certified under “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All). Loaner wheelchairs available; visitors with limited mobility may drive into the palace courtyard to get in and out of the vehicle. Parking at the Marstall is free for people with disabilities. The Prinzenpalais (special exhibitions on the upper floor) is not accessible.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €15 · Max. 2 adults and up to 5 children under 18 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Stroller-friendly
Educational programs for daycare centers and schools, including a fairy-tale search game through the palace and crafts activities; family ticket for up to two adults and five children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Theater · 4-min walk
Altenburg station (regional trains, S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland), about a 20-minute walk through the palace park; city bus lines I, L, S, and W to the Theater stop, then about a 4-minute walk.
By car
Paid parking
Paid parking lots at Heinrich-Gottfried-Trost-Weg (about a 3-minute walk), at the Marstall (about 6 min., free for guests with disabilities), at the Poliklinik (about 10 min., steep staircase), and at the theater (about 10 min.). Free bus parking at the Marstall and at the theater.
- Accessible parking
Access via Heinrich-Gottfried-Trost-Weg; guests with limited mobility may briefly drive into the palace courtyard to get in and out.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Drinks, specialty coffees, and small snacks in the Ducal Residence Rooms; museum shop.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 300 guests.
Banqueting hall (up to 300 guests), Bach Hall (180), Teehaussaal (100), and Türmerstube (8–10, May–September) for conferences, celebrations, and civil weddings; palace church for church weddings and baptisms (approx. 300). Outdoor areas and filming permits also available.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group tours (usually about 60 minutes) in German, English, and Dutch, including tours of the banqueting halls and palace church, on the Prince Abduction, and of the playing card museum; print workshop and programs for schools and daycare centers. Bookings in writing. |
