76 Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha

76 Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha

Schloss Friedenstein (built from 1643 to 1656) is the largest early Baroque palace complex in Germany.

Its unique collections, original preserved state rooms, the park with a Baroque orangery, and one of the earliest English landscape gardens in Europe (Mercury Temple – Model 85), along with the library, archive, and palace church, make it a “Baroque Universe” of international significance.

Notable historical figures like Goethe, Voltaire, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon visited here.

The palace reflects Baroque, Rococo, and Classicism.  In addition to the Ekhof Theater (open during the summer), the oldest palace theater in the world, with functioning 17th-century stage technology, there are three museums within the palace:

– The Palace Museum with a Kunstkammer (treasures, including items from the Nautilus and curiosities such as one of the few Napoleon hats in the world)

– The Historical Museum Gotha (history of the region from prehistory to the 19th century)

– The Museum of Nature

The Ducal Museum, located across from the palace, presents unique art collections, including:

– Egyptian antiquities, classical sculptures by Houdon and A. de Vries, Böttger stoneware, Meissen and Asian porcelain, Japanese lacquer art, fans, Chinese soapstone, and an important collection of paintings with a focus on Dutch and Old German art, including masterpieces by both Cranachs, Rubens, and Caspar David Friedrich.

 

For more information: 

Schloss Friedenstein
99867 Gotha
Phone: 03621 / 82 34-51 or -0
Fax: 03621 / 82 34-57

http://www.stiftungfriedenstein.de