Saxony's state museum of archaeology in Erich Mendelsohn's Kaufhaus Schocken department store: 300,000 years of human history on three floors.
October 30, 2026 – March 29, 2027
Around 250 loans from Italian museums – gold jewelry, a large terracotta sarcophagus, and complete sets of grave goods – tell of the art, trade, and everyday life of the Etruscans before Roman domination.
The building on today's Stefan-Heym-Platz was designed by Erich Mendelsohn as the Schocken company's third department store, after Stuttgart and Nuremberg; it opened on May 15, 1930. With its curved facade structured by bands of windows, it is regarded as a key building of modernism. After its Jewish owners were expropriated under the Nazis, the store continued as Merkur, in East Germany as an HO department store, and later as a Centrum department store.
Between 2010 and 2014 the Free State of Saxony converted the listed building into the state museum of archaeology, based on plans by Auer Weber and Knerer und Lang; openings cut through the ceilings now connect the exhibition levels. Exactly 84 years after the department store opened, on May 15, 2014, the smac welcomed its first visitors. It is run by the Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen (Saxony State Office for Archaeology).
Covering some 3,000 square meters with around 6,200 finds, the permanent exhibition traces the history of Saxony from the Paleolithic to the dawn of industrialization. Among the best-known pieces are a roughly 14,000-year-old slate plaque with horse heads and Neolithic wooden wells. A separate exhibition is devoted to Mendelsohn, the Schocken company, and Salman Schocken. The exhibition design by Atelier Brückner received a Red Dot Award in 2015, and the museum won the European Museum Academy's DASA Award in 2018.
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5School students aged 17 and up, students, Federal Volunteer Service participants, people with severe disabilities, recipients of Bürgergeld and unemployment benefit (ALG), holders of the ChemnitzPass, Danke-Card, and Sächsische Ehrenamtskarte (Saxon volunteer card), members of the Bundesverband der Gästeführer (federal association of tour guides) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 16 · Children and teens under 17 free. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5 |
| Students & apprentices | €5 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personFrom 10 people, per person (permanent exhibition). |
| Families | €12Max. 2 adults with max. 2 children up to age 18. |
| Special exhibition "Die Etrusker" | €9Reduced €6, family €14, groups €6 per person. |
| Combination ticket for permanent and special exhibitions | €14Reduced €8, family €18, groups €8 per person. |
| Annual pass | €25Reduced €18, family €35. |
Free admission also for holders of the Landesfamilienpass (state family pass) and members of the friends' association. Audio guide included in admission.
Left entrance with automatic door opener; two elevators to all exhibition levels and the lecture hall; accessible restrooms in the foyer and on the fifth and sixth floors. Three loaner wheelchairs and three rollators, plus folding stools. Tactile guidance system with touch objects and an audio tour for blind and visually impaired visitors. Induction loops at the ticket desk and in the lecture hall; mobile induction loops available to borrow. Monthly public guided tour with a sign language interpreter, video guide in German Sign Language (DGS); tours in Leichte Sprache (easy-to-read German) every last Sunday of the month. One accessible parking space at the back of the building (access via Johannisplatz).
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 16 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €12 · Max. 2 adults with max. 2 children up to age 18. |
Family program "Gemeinsam entdecken" (Discover Together), holiday programs "Spielend lernen" (Learning Through Play), and an annual family day in September; audio guide for children and teenagers as well as a family quiz. Children's birthday parties on various themes. Baby changing rooms in the foyer and on the fifth floor.
Stefan-Heym-Platz
Stefan-Heym-Platz stop (lines 2, 5, 21, 23, 31, 32, M1, and others) or Brückenstraße/Freie Presse (tram 1, 4); approx. 7-minute walk from the main train station.
Paid parking
No visitor parking of its own. Metered parking bays on Brückenstraße, Augustusburger Straße, and Straße der Nationen, parking lot at the main train station (about a 7-minute walk) and the Bahnhofstraße parking garage (near Reitbahnstraße). One accessible parking space behind the building (access via Johannisplatz). Overview of tour bus parking on the museum website.
Bike racks at Stefan-Heym-Platz.
Get directionsAs of September 2026, there is no longer a museum café. Lockers for coats and luggage in the foyer (€2 deposit).
First-floor foyer for receptions, parties, and corporate events; lecture hall on the sixth floor for conferences (approx. 50 people in classroom seating). Guided tours and catering recommendations on request.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, CS) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography without flash or tripod is permitted in the exhibition. |
| Good to know | Audio guide also available in Leichte Sprache (easy-to-read German), German Sign Language, and in versions for children and teens. Guided tours and team events via buchung@smac-shop.de or +49 371 9119990 (Mon–Fri 9:00–15:00). |
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