On a mountain spur above the market square of the town of Sondershausen lies the residential castle of the counts and princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The Schwarzburgs, present as sovereigns in Sondershausen in northern Thuringia since the 14th century, built a Renaissance castle in 1534 using the medieval castle keep, which was repeatedly expanded and reshaped in the following centuries.
Today, as an architectural ensemble with stables and octagonal house, Sondershausen Castle vividly displays its architectural history from the Renaissance to Historicism. Since 1952, the castle has housed the Castle Museum, one of the most important museums in northern Thuringia. One of the treasures of the museum is the Golden Carriage, one of the few French gala carriages of the early 18th century preserved in Europe. It is exhibited as a rank-identifying train of six with dummy horses in the castle galleries. The Abtsbessingen faience pottery from the 18th century is one of the focal points of the museum's collection. The largest collection in Germany presents original tureens and jars in the shape of fruit and animals, parts of representative service but also examples of serial production. A small but high-quality collection of musical instruments, including, for example, the signed Harras harpsichord, is part of the exhibition on the history of music in Sondershausen, which focuses on the long musical tradition of the residential town. Other top objects in the museum include the Mappe Monde Nouvelle Papistique, a satirical world map from 1562, and the Püstrich, a medieval bronze figure whose function remains a mystery to this day. Bibliophile treasures, such as the travel manuscript of Baron von Mörsperg (1604), round out the collection's spectrum.
Event location
Guided tours
Geöffnet
Children's program
Museum store
Parking
Events
Restroom
10.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Montags geschlossen. An Feiertagen geöffnet.
Erwachsene: 7 €
ermäßigt: 4 €
Free admission for children under the age of 6.
Familienkarte: 12 € (max. 2 Erwachsene + Kinder bis 18 Jahre)
Sonderausstellung: 2 €
Sondershausen Castle
Schlossmuseum Sondershausen Schloss 1 99706 Sondershausen Telefon: 0 36 32 / 62 24 20 Fax: 0 36 32 / 62 24 10
Event location
You can use the different architectural styles of the castle complex or the extensive park as a backdrop for your individual event.
Contact: Schlossverwaltung Schloss Sondershausen
Phone: 0 36 32 - 62 24 02