Trainee architectural drafters from a Saarbrücken vocational school present their own designs for new forms of remembrance, inspired by the memorial to the murdered Sinti and Roma of Saarland.
Over het museum
The museum dates back to 1985, when the then Stadtverband Saarbrücken (Saarbrücken municipal association) set up a "Regionalgeschichtliches Museum" (regional history museum) in the cellars of Saarbrücken Palace. The impetus came from a detention cell that the Gestapo had built into the vaults after 1935, whose walls still bear prisoners' inscriptions. The first section, on National Socialism in the Saar region, was created around this site and opened on November 9, 1988; a year later, a section on the postwar period up to the region's reintegration into Germany was added.
In 1993 an extension designed by Gottfried Böhm was inaugurated; it references the former Baroque stables and provides space for temporary exhibitions. Since 1994 the museum has been called Historisches Museum Saar and has been run by a special-purpose association of the Regionalverband Saarbrücken and the state of Saarland. Between 2004 and 2007, archaeologists uncovered remains of the medieval castle and the Renaissance fortifications beneath the Schlossplatz, which can be visited from the museum ever since.
The permanent exhibition, newly installed in 2008, follows the history of the German-French border region from the war of 1870/71 to the Saarland's economic integration into West Germany in 1959, covering the German Empire, World War I, the League of Nations period, the Nazi dictatorship, and the autonomous Saar state. Since 2023 it has been gradually revised: in May 2026 the Underground Castle, newly staged with media installations, and the Red Tower opened, and the remaining sections are expected to follow by the end of 2028.
Hoogtepunten
Original Gestapo detention cell with prisoners' inscriptions
Underground castle 14 m beneath the Schlossplatz with casemates and remains of a ball-game house
Animated film on the construction history of the castle and palace on the Saarbrücken rock
Red Tower with hands-on stations about life in a castle
"Saarbrücker Ampel" and everyday objects from the autonomous Saar state
Museum building by Gottfried Böhm
Vaste collectie
Saargeschichte 1870–1959 – A chronological tour from the German Empire through World War I, the League of Nations period, and the Nazi dictatorship, with the preserved Gestapo cell, to the autonomous Saar state. The sections are being redesigned until probably 2028.
Unterirdische Burg und Roter Turm – Excavated fortifications, casemates, and remains of a ball-game house deep beneath the Schlossplatz, featuring projections, an animated film, and hands-on stations since May 2026; the Red Tower is aimed primarily at children.
Opgericht
1985
Beheerder
Zweckverband Historisches Museum Saar (Regionalverband Saarbrücken und Saarland)
Directie
Dr. Peter Henkel
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
Volwassenen
€ 7
Met korting
€ 4University students, trainees/apprentices, people of retirement age, and holders of the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card) (with proof)
Kinderen & jongeren
gratisgratis t/m 17 jaar · Children and teens under 18 are admitted free.
Senioren
€ 4Reduced admission for people of retirement age.
Mensen met een beperking
gratisPeople with a degree of disability of 50 or higher are admitted free.
Studenten
€ 4University students and trainees with ID.
Groepen
–Groups of 10 or more should register in advance at the museum ticket desk; group tour €50 per hour (max. 25 people) plus admission.
Combined ticket for the Museen am Schlossplatz (Historisches Museum, Alte Sammlung, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Schlosskirche)
€ 8reduced €5
Express ticket (30 minutes)
€ 2
Gratis toegang:Free admission on the first Wednesday of every month.
Free admission also for recipients of unemployment benefit (ALG I), basic income support, and social assistance, asylum seekers, and members of ICOM, the Deutscher Museumsbund, the Bundesverband Museumspädagogik, the friends' association, and others. Saar Pass: free admission once; other tourist cards with a discount. Registered city tours may take a short look (up to 15 minutes) into the Underground Castle free of charge. Public guided tours at no extra charge.
Toegankelijkheid
Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
Lift
Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
Hulphonden welkom
Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
Step-free entrance; most exhibition areas are easily usable by wheelchair, but the Red Tower can only be reached by stairs; the walkway in the Underground Castle has been widened. Accessible parking spaces behind the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), with an approx. 200 m gently rising cobblestone path to the entrance. No tactile guidance system, but tactile stations and orientation maps in the Underground Castle; a media guide with Easy Language, sign language, and audio description is in development. Certified under "Reisen für Alle" (Travel for All).
Kinderen & gezin
Toegang kinderen
gratis t/m 17 jaar
Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
Children under 14 only when accompanied by adults; in the Underground Castle this applies up to age 16. Strollers are allowed in the exhibition.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Schlossplatz (Bus 105, 108)
Bus lines 105 and 108 from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) to the Schlossplatz stop (approx. 7 minutes); about a 20-minute walk from the main station via the Alte Brücke.
Met de auto
Betaald parkeren
Paid parking around Saarbrücken Palace and in the Parkhaus Talstraße 38–42 parking garage; bus parking in front of the palace wall on Franz-Josef-Röder-Straße.
No museum café of its own; Café am Schloss (Schlossplatz 15a) is right next door, and the restaurant Tomate2 is nearby. Museum shop in the entrance area. Coat check and lockers are limited; backpacks, umbrellas, and bags larger than A4 are not allowed in the exhibition.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.
Je bezoek plannen
Rondleidingen
ja · duur ca. 1,5 uur
Audiotour
nee
Aanbod voor scholen
ja
Fotograferen
Allowed for private purposes without flash, tripod, or selfie stick; prohibited in marked areas and in some special exhibitions.
Goed om te weten
Public guided tours (approx. 60–90 minutes) Saturdays at 15:00 ("From Castle to Palace" and Schlossplatz), Sundays and public holidays at 14:00 (Underground Castle) and 15:00 (Saarland History 1870–1959); admission only, max. 25 people, spots can be reserved online. Group tours also in French and English, registration three weeks in advance. Exhibition texts in German, French, and mostly English. In the Underground Castle max. 30 people at a time, sturdy footwear recommended. Free museum bus for school classes (Tue–Thu mornings).