Schloss Derneburg

About the museum

The complex at Derneburg looks back on almost nine centuries. After a castle of the Counts of Winzenburg, an Augustinian canons' foundation was established here in 1143, later a women's convent, from 1443 a Cistercian nunnery, and from 1651 a Cistercian monastery. In the 18th century the monks built most of the buildings that survive today, including a large Baroque church and the estate buildings.

After secularization in 1803, Derneburg passed in 1815 to Count Ernst zu Münster, who had the monastery converted into a manor house by the Hanoverian court architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves. This produced a landscape park in the English style stretching down to the Nette and, from part of the church, a Knights' Hall in Neo-Gothic forms. The Münster family remained the owners until the 1970s; in World War II the castle served as a military hospital, afterward as housing for refugees.

In the mid-1970s the painter Georg Baselitz acquired the castle and lived and worked there for around three decades; in the mid-1990s he had a new studio built in the park. In 2006 the estate passed to the collectors Andrew and Christine Hall. The Schloss Derneburg Museum gGmbH reunited it with the neighboring estate (Domäne) and has since been renovating the buildings in order to show works from the collection of the Hall Art Foundation to the public there.

The art museum presents painting, sculpture, and photography of postwar and contemporary art, with a focus on, for example, Georg Baselitz, Markus Lüpertz, and other German painters. Since 2023, Baselitz's former studio has been an exhibition space. A sculpture park is growing around the castle; further exhibition areas and visitor facilities are to be completed in the coming years.

Highlights

• Former monastery with cloister and Neo-Gothic Knights' Hall
• Exhibitions in the former studio of Georg Baselitz
• Sculpture park with works by Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, and Alicja Kwade, among others
• Large glass window by Markus Lüpertz in the entrance hall
• Historic landscape park designed by Laves

Permanent exhibitions

• Skulpturenpark – In the historic castle park stand sculptures and installations by artists such as Carl Andre, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Alicja Kwade, and Kenny Scharf; the park is accessible without a tour and is continually being expanded.
• Baselitz im Atelier – About two dozen late paintings and one sculpture by Georg Baselitz, shown in the studio building in the park, where he created them shortly before the sale of the castle.

Operated by

Schloss Derneburg Museum gGmbH (Hall Art Foundation)

Director

Alexander Haviland

Admission & discounts

The admission ticket is valid for the sculpture park and the exhibitions in the annex buildings; the exhibitions in the castle are accessible only with a tour (surcharge). Tickets online in the ticket shop, reservation recommended for tours.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Partially accessible. Wheelchairs can be reserved in advance free of charge, and staff will help if needed. Parts of the outdoor grounds are gravel, and the paths in the wooded castle park are unpaved. The historic access to the cloister has some steps, and on the first floor there are some historic door thresholds. Most of the exhibition "Hard Edge(d)" in the Knights' Hall is accessible without barriers, one part only via stairs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Children are welcome, but the following applies: one accompanying adult per child, children under 6 by the hand, no running, and no carrying on backs or shoulders. Strollers may be prohibited for safety reasons. Some exhibitions show sexual or disturbing content. On event days such as International Museum Day, there is the hands-on station "Kunst Station" for families.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A7, exit Derneburg, then on the B6 toward Hildesheim and follow the signs to Derneburg.

Amenities & dining

• Lockers

Large bags, backpacks, and umbrellas must be stored in lockers. Pets as well as food and drinks brought from outside are not allowed, and smoking is prohibited throughout the grounds.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit