Saxony
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
Although Saxony has monumental prehistoric structures that date to around the 5th century BC, it is better known for its medieval heritage. From the Duchy of Saxony, to an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire and then the Kingdom of Saxony. Art and culture, castles and palaces as well as crafts and industry are what attract German and foreign visitors to Saxony. The city of Dresden is known as Germany’s Jewel Box because of its lavish Baroque and Rococo historical centre. Since early in the Holy Roman Empire, Leipzig has prospered from its position on two major trade routes through Europe.
This page, part of our Germany Travel Guide, provides details of the art, archaeology and history sites, museums and related attractions to visit in the state of Saxony. Readers wishing to visit these places will find visitor information, links to official websites as well as other helpful resources. Those who have an account (free of charge) can create their own travel lists and itineraries. To benefit fully from this website’s travel planning features, see the User’s Guide. The information on this page has been put together by various members of the Archaeology Travel team, based on both personal visits and research.
Archaeology & History Sites in Saxony
Albrechtsburg Castle, Meissen
Accepted by some as Germany’s oldest palace, this Gothic and Renaissance castle, and the site on which it was constructed overlooking the Elbe River, has had a long history. The first fortress was built in 929 for Henry 1, Duke of Saxony. And it was here in 1471 that brothers Ernest and Albrecht, both Dukes of Saxony, built their residential palace and administrative centre. Although they never used it as such. The Gothic masterpiece became a porcelain factory and in 1863 a museum. Innovative displays give insight into the castle’s complex history.
Blankenhain Castle
Were it not for a group of dedicated locals, the castle would have been destroyed by the Soviet Occupying forces overseeing East Germany following WWII. Although the first recorded mention is of a moated castle, in 1423, historians believe that this was built on an earlier fortification. What visitors see today is a Baroque style castle, built at the beginning of the 18th century after the previous castle had been largely destroyed by fire. At that time the manor and its estate was developed by noblemen. Into the 20th century it was wealthy industrialists who developed the estate, which is now used to house the German Agricultural Museum.
Monument to the Battle of the Nations
The Völkerschlachtdenkmal commemorates the defeat of Napoleon’s French army at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, also known as the Battle of Nations. The location of the monument is close to Napoleon’s former command post in the centre of the battlefield. Visitors can climb the 500+ steps to a viewing platform for spectacular views around Leipzig. When inaugurated on 18th October 1913, the one-hundredth anniversary of the battle of the Nations, the 91 m high monument was the biggest monument in Europe.
Robert Schumann Birthplace
Said to be the finest music museum in Germany, the birthplace of composer Robert Schumann is at once a museum, research centre and event venue. It was in this house on the main market square that his father ran a publishing business. August Schumann is considered to have invented the paperback. Robert’s nursery is furnished with items that belonged to him and his wife Clara née Wieck, a pianist. The museum has the largest collection of original manuscripts belonging to Robert and Clara. The ground floor is used for regular special concerts and temporary exhibitions.
Zabeltitz Baroque Palace
In 1728 extensive remodelling of an earlier residential castle was carried out for the Imperial Count of Wackerbarth by a well-known builder Johann Christoph Knöffel. Prior to the castle, a medieval moated fort stood here, having been built to protect a salt road. Today the palace is also known for its French inspired Baroque garden, one of the most important historic parks in Saxony. A permanent exhibition inside the palace gives visitors the history of the palace and gardens.
Museums & Art Galleries in Saxony
August Horch Museum
It was in Zwickau that such well known auto brands as the Audi and the Trabant were created. In an exhibition space of 6,500 square metres, on the grounds of the factory, around 160 exhibits tell the automotive history of the town. From motorcycles to personal vehicles, to the start of coachbuilding. Follow the history of the motor industry from the 1920s to the Second World War, from post-war GDR to Reunification. One of a number of highlights for automobile history enthusiasts is the one millionth Trabant, made in 1973.
Egyptology Museum, University of Leipzig
Housed in what was a private bank built in the 1920s, the Krochhochhaus, is the Egyptological Institute of Leipzig University’s Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff. An important collection of over 7,000 artefacts from Egypt and Sudan that starts with prehistory cultures and ends in the early Islamic period of the area. One of the highlights on display is the richly decorated sarcophagus of Hedbastiru; the object that would give rise to the establishment of the museum.
German Agricultural Museum
The 13 hectares of the 18th century Blankenhain Castle estate is home to the German Agricultural Museum. This is a museum complex that is unique in Germany; a conglomerate of the Baroque castle, an open-air museum, a technology museum and an ethnographic museum. The estate is made up of over 80 buildings, in which some 100 different exhibitions have been curated. A few historic half-timbered buildings have been relocated here. Perhaps one of the most curious displays is the world’s largest collection of homemade tractors. Visitors are free to follow various routes through the complex, or take a guided tour that points out the many highlights.
Museum of Classical Antiquities, Leipzig
Housed in the Alte Nikolaischule, the University of Leipzig’s Museum of Classical Antiquities has over 10,000 artefacts from various Mediterranean countries representing Classical Greece and Rome. Although the collection was founded in 1840 as a teaching collection for students of Classical archaeology at the university, the museum is accessible to the public. Highlights include a number of red and black painted ceramics from Apulia, including a beautifully decorated Apulia Krater.
Ore Mountain Open-Air Museum, Seiffen
The Ore Mountain Open Air Museum, linked to the Toy Museum in Seiffen, is a collection of historic buildings from around the Ore Mountain area, dating from the mid-19th through to the early-20th centuries. In an area covering 3 hectares there are 15 buildings, including two hydroelectric power installations (of which there are daily demonstrations in the summer). The focus of the activities showcased here is on the woodworking professions of the Erzgebirge region, specifically the workshops, machines and technologies of Erzgebirge toy production.
Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen
Housed in a former hosiery factory, the Ore Mountain Toy Museum opened in 1936. The exhibition space covers 1,000 square meters spread over three floors. These displays feature over 5,000 objects reflecting the traditional local toy industry and other forms of folk art. Besides the objects, there is a great deal of historical background into the collection and the toy making industry in the area. There are also toy-makers on hand, demonstrating how some of the toys are made.
Runde Ecke Memorial Museum
In what was for 40 years the Stasi’s headquarters of the Leipzig District is now a museum that tells the history of the secret service in Leipzig during the period of the GDR. The central, permanent exhibition is ‘Stasi – Power and Banality. Curated by the Citizens Committee of Leipzig, which was formed during the peaceful revolution in 1989. The demonstration that on 9 October 1989 brought down East Germany and the fall of the Iron Curtain. The custodians have tried to preserve the decor and contents of the Stasi offices as it was at the end of 1989, from linoleum floors and radiators, from surveillance cameras to shredding machines.
Zwickau Art Museum / Max-Pechstein-Museum
Formerly the König Albert Museum, the museum now houses the city’s wide-ranging art collection, as well as a collection of over 500 geological and paleontological items. In the same building is the world’s largest collection of paintings by the German Expressionist painter Max Pechstein. Other permanent collections include Gothic and Baroque sacred art, Old Masters from around Europe, including the Brueghel Family, Modern Art and Max Liebermann. Temporary exhibitions of Contemporary art allow visitors to explore the work of local artists.
Create Your Saxony Itinerary & Travel Lists
If you are planning a trip to Saxony, and other regions in Germany, you can use our Itinerary Builder with the list of sites and museums below to create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itineraries. These can be shared with your friends, privately and on social media. To make use of this feature, however, you will need to log in or register as a new user. Once registered and logged in, you can use the lists below to select sites and museums you would like to add to your itinerary and/or travel lists. Please Note: the lists below only include sites and museums in the German state of Saxony, go to the German Travel Guide to find places to visit in the other states.
