Stadt- und Waagenmuseum Oschatz

About the museum

The museum occupies two historic court buildings directly on the partly preserved city wall. The Amtsfronfeste was built in two phases in the 15th and 16th centuries – excavations in 1991/92 found remains of earlier buildings – and is connected to the watchtower of 1377. It was the residence of the Amtsfron (court bailiff), a court and a prison. The Ratsfronfeste at the former Altoschatzer Tor (gate) was built in 1574 and survived the city fires of 1616 and 1842 unscathed.

The roots of the collection go back to 1911, when the Verein für Orts- und Volkskunde (Society for Local and Folk History) showed farm furniture from the Oschatz Pflege at a trade exhibition; it has been part of the city museum ever since. The city history in the Ratsfronfeste was redesigned in 2000 and ranges from Stone Age and Bronze Age finds to the 20th century.

A special focus is scale making: Oschatz developed into a center of this industry from about 1845, when Ernst Friedrich Pfitzer began making scales. The redesigned scales museum shows around 180 objects, mainly scales by Oschatz companies, complemented by large scales in the courtyard and a reconstructed scale-making workshop.

Highlights

• Monumental balance scale of 1686, later a salt scale in Schandau
• Pfitzer's chair scale for people ("Ratsherrenwaage", councillor's scale), shown at the 1862 World Exhibition in London
• Around 120 scales with media stations and hands-on areas
• Walk-in, 25 m high watchtower of 1377 with views of the old town
• Originally furnished prison cell in the Ratsfronfeste

Permanent exhibitions

• Waagenmuseum – Around 180 objects on the history of weighing and on Oschatz scale making – from pharmacists' and gold scales to laboratory scales, with media stations and hands-on areas.
• Stadtgeschichte in der Ratsfronfeste – Overview of Oschatz history from prehistoric finds through guilds and garrison to the 20th century, plus a historic prison cell.
• Bäuerliches Wohnen und Oschatzer Handwerk – In the Amtsfronfeste: kitchen, living room and bedroom of a farming family about 150 years ago, farm furniture as well as a clothmaker's loom and a cobbler's workshop.

Operated by

Oschatzer Freizeitstätten GmbH

Director

Dana Bach

Admission & discounts

Guided tours with advance registration: flat fee €30 for adult groups or €15 for reduced-rate groups, in each case plus admission.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

With the mascot Waago, a museum rally with ten riddle questions leads through the scales museum, with a small surprise as a reward. At interactive areas children can weigh and try things out themselves.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit