Stadt- und Bergbaumuseum Freiberg

About the museum

History-minded citizens of Freiberg founded the Freiberger Altertumsverein (Antiquities Society) in 1860, whose rapidly growing collection was shown publicly from 1861. This makes the museum one of the oldest citizen-founded museums in Saxony. In 1903 the collection moved into the renovated Domherrenhof (canons' house) on the Untermarkt, an imposing late Gothic building from around 1485 that had long served as a Latin school after the Reformation, and was given the name König-Albert-Museum.

In the 1920s the museum was renamed Stadtmuseum and the collection was reorganized on scholarly lines. In 1939 it passed entirely into municipal ownership and has since been called Stadt- und Bergbaumuseum, with a stronger focus on Saxon ore mining. After the collections were evacuated during the war, the museum reopened in November 1946.

After modernization from the 1990s, fundamental reconstruction began in 2018: an extension with a silver facade, the "Silberne Pforte" (Silver Gate), has connected the foyer, café, shop and the underground world of Freiberg mining and smelting since January 2025. New themed rooms in the old building followed in March 2026. The full opening of the redesigned museum is planned for May 2027.

The collection includes testimonies of city and mining history, decorative arts in silver, pewter and wood, miners' folk art, and objects on the Knappschaft (miners' guild), the early social security of miners.

Highlights

• Multimedia underground world on Freiberg silver mining
• 1678 marzipan table decoration and lidded tankard of the miners' guild
• Sound installation on the Russian horns to try out
• Late Gothic Domherrenhof right next to Freiberg Cathedral
• Inclusive discovery trail "Silbernes Band" (Silver Ribbon) with tactile objects

Permanent exhibitions

• Freiberger Bergbau & Hüttenwesen – Unter-Tage-Welt – Multimedia presentation in the basement on ore deposits, mining methods and extraction in the Freiberg mining district.
• Bergbau & Kunst – Silver wealth as the basis of display: showpieces in silver, pewter, wood, porcelain and ivory as well as miners' folk art.
• Freiberg im 17. & 18. Jahrhundert / Geschichte der Knappschaft – Mining tradition, the Bergakademie (mining academy), miners' parades and the Knappschaft as an early solidarity community of miners.

Founded

1861

Operated by

Stadt Freiberg

Director

Andrea Riedel

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for, among others, holders of the Saxon family pass (Sächsischer Familienpass) or the World Heritage Discovery Pass (Welterbe-Entdeckerpass), for volunteer service participants, tour guides and bus drivers, ICOM and German Museums Association members, and on your own birthday. The prices apply until the full reopening in May 2027.

Accessibility

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

Step-free access via a ramp, elevator to all levels, accessible restrooms in the basement. Tactile floor guidance system, handrail labels in Braille and prism script, tactile models and material samples; the "Silbernes Band" leads through the exhibition as an inclusive trail. Media based on the two-senses principle, texts also available to listen to via QR code; your own hearing aids can be used via a 3.5 mm jack. Folding stools can be borrowed at the ticket desk. Website available in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Hands-on stations such as the Russian horns or a miners' parade you can design yourself, holiday programs and family activities, plus the museum children's club "Silberlinge" for ages 7 to 12. Baby changing room in the basement, bottle warmer and toilet seat reducer available to borrow. Only foldable strollers are allowed in the exhibitions; larger strollers stay in the foyer.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A4 (exit Siebenlehn, B 101) or the A17 (exit Kesselsdorf, B 173) toward Freiberg.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Café area in the foyer of the Silberne Pforte and museum shop with regional products and publications, each during museum opening hours. Lockers in various sizes in the basement; bags larger than A4 and heavy outerwear must be stored there.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit