Please note that the Hausmannsturm will only be open to visitors from 12 a.m. on 9 April 2025 due to security measures.
Residenzschloss (Royal Palace)
The Semperoper, the Zwinger, the Frauenkirche and in their midst the Residenzschloss, Dresden’s royal palace. Dresden’s historic centre is studded with architectural highlights, and today it is hard to imagine that the Residenzschloss was reconstructed just a handful of years ago. Almost completely burnt out in the bombing of Dresden in February 1945, all that remained unharmed were a part of the palace’s Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault) and the basement rooms.
Where Art and Science Reside
Until the late 1980s, not only were materials and finances lacking for maintenance and reconstruction, the political will for such an undertaking was absent in East Germany. This was in spite of volunteers and proactive public offices such as the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, the Technical University Dresden and the Dresden art collections themselves.
With German reunification came a reconception of the palace as a residence for art and science. In 1995, an international commission of experts recommended what today is reality: The historical and the new Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault), the Kupferstich-Kabinett (Cabinet of Prints, Drawings and Photographs), the Rüstkammer (Armoury) and the Münzkabinett (Coin Cabinet) were to belong to the museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), and to have their seat in the palace, with exhibition areas, storage spaces and offices. Further publically accessible places are the extensive art library, various lecture and study halls as well as (in the summer months) the tower known as the Hausmannsturm, which affords visitors who climb its 327 steps a spectacular view of Dresden. Visible from afar, the transparent dome structure which forms a roof over the small palace courtyard protects visitors in the foyer from the weather.
Presentation of the returned jewels from the Historic Green Vault
Die Führung beginnt im Neuen Grünen Gewölbe und präsentiert die hochkarätigen Kunstschätze aus einer der reichsten Schatzkammern Europas. Die Führung stellt die Highlights dieser Ausstellungen, unter anderem aus dem Neuen Grünen Gewölbe und den Ausstellungen der Rüstkammer, vor.
Präsentation mit Provenienzforscherin Katja Lindenau
16:00–17:00
In den letzten Jahren konnten mehrere grafische Blätter, die seit Kriegsende 1945 als vermisst galten, wieder in das Kupferstich-Kabinett zurückgeführt werden. Über ihre lange Reise nach Hause berichtet Provenienzforscherin Katja Lindenau im Gespräch.
Die Führung beginnt im Neuen Grünen Gewölbe und präsentiert die hochkarätigen Kunstschätze aus einer der reichsten Schatzkammern Europas. Die Führung stellt die Highlights dieser Ausstellungen, unter anderem aus dem Neuen Grünen Gewölbe und den Ausstellungen der Rüstkammer, vor.
The palace, however, is not an authentic representation of that time. Rather, the reconstructed exterior was deliberately designed to present the various periods next to one another and thus bears witness to the permanent process of change which has been at work in the long history of the representative building.
Already, the bright, matter-of-fact architecture encountered in the palace interior comes as a surprise: Singular treasures of art are shown here, in an environment characterized by the interplay of historical and historicizing architectural elements, with both visible and hidden traces of destruction.
The Residenzschloss, the original location of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, is still at the heart of the collections today. After all, a majority of items in Dresden’s museum complex can be traced to the Kunstkammer of the Saxon electors and kings who once lived here: Beginning in 1485 it was the permanent seat of the sovereigns and today it is considered one of the most significant Renaissance palaces in Germany.
The palace, however, is not an authentic representation of that time. Rather, the reconstructed exterior was deliberately designed to present the various periods next to one another and thus bears witness to the permanent process of change which has been at work in the long history of the representative building.
Already, the bright, matter-of-fact architecture encountered in the palace interior comes as a surprise: Singular treasures of art are shown here, in an environment characterized by the interplay of historical and historicizing architectural elements, with both visible and hidden traces of destruction.
The Residenzschloss, the original location of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, is still at the heart of the collections today. After all, a majority of items in Dresden’s museum complex can be traced to the Kunstkammer of the Saxon electors and kings who once lived here: Beginning in 1485 it was the permanent seat of the sovereigns and today it is considered one of the most significant Renaissance palaces in Germany.
The palace, however, is not an authentic representation of that time. Rather, the reconstructed exterior was deliberately designed to present the various periods next to one another and thus bears witness to the permanent process of change which has been at work in the long history of the representative building.
The Residenzschloss, the original location of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, is still at the heart of the collections today. After all, a majority of items in Dresden’s museum complex can be traced to the Kunstkammer of the Saxon electors and kings who once lived here: Beginning in 1485 it was the permanent seat of the sovereigns and today it is considered one of the most significant Renaissance palaces in Germany.
An Ever-Changing Palace
An Ever-Changing Palace
Every ruler left his own mark on the building: Under Elector Moritz, Renaissance influences came into play between 1548 and 1556 when Italian specialists were brought to Dresden to apply the elaborate sgraffito decoration, which may be enjoyed once again today on the façade of the palace courtyard. The latest historical redesign of the palace façades dates to 1889, when a Neo-Renaissance style was used. In 1701, a fire had destroyed the east wing and August the Strong developed a new design in response. But it was only for the wedding of his son in 1719 that the palace underwent its opulent Baroque transformation.
The audience hall, the parade bedroom and three other historical rooms were restored true to the original until September 2019 to impress visitors – as was the intention 300 years ago when they were set up by August the Strong. Also in 2019, the small ballroom was opened. The double-height space is akin to the Semperoper in terms of both its time of origin and its architecture. Using old construction techniques, it will be reconstructed in the historicist style and rendered true to the original. The 500 best and most resplendent firearms of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries from the holdings of the Saxon elector will return to the palace where they will be displayed in the Langer Gang.
Ticket valid for all museums at the Royal Palace except Historic Green Vault: Small Ballroom, The State Apartments of August the Strong, Coin Cabinet, New Green Vault, Museum of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, Hausmannsturm, Armoury (Kunstkammer, The Rise of Electoral Power in Saxony, The Firearms Gallery in the Long Corridor, Electoral Wardrobe, Turkish Chamber, Hall of the Giants, Silverarms Room)
