The Thuringian Treasury invites you to experience the rich heritage of courtly culture in Thuringia - princely castles with their collections and gardens.
For centuries, Thuringia consisted of numerous small dominions. Competition and exchange characterized the close relationships between the dukes, princes, and counts. The rulers competed with each other, especially in the promotion of art and culture. Hereby, the great courts of Europe served as a model.
Important architects and artists created castle buildings of outstanding quality. In some cases, the castles were gradually evolved from fortress grounds, in others they were newly erected according to ambitious plans. Magnificent halls from the Renaissance to Historicism, representative baroque apartments, playful rococo cabinets, and noble classicist rooms bring alive the courtly life of half a millennium.
Princes were collectors. In the beginning, their cabinets of art and curiosities contained a colorful mixture of exotic finds, paintings, goldsmith's work and much more. Later, the princely collections evolved into special collections that make each castle museum unique to this day.
Thuringian courts were among the pioneers of modern European garden art. As early as the 18th century, parks were created based on the model of English landscape gardens. Hermann Prince von Pückler-Muskau is the most prominent of the important garden virtuosos who left their mark here.
