Altenburg offers a range of options for a cultural break: art collections, local history, churches and natural history. Their connections are especially clear in the palace park, which links the Residenzschloss, the Lindenau Museum and the Mauritianum, among other places. You can plan your time around your interests in art, architecture or natural history.
Palace Park and Collections
Winding paths and mature trees shape the character of the palace park. Its historic buildings include the orangery and the tea house, as well as St Agnes’ Church and the Marstall. The park is therefore not only a place to walk between attractions, but also offers architectural points of interest in its own right.
The Lindenau Museum owns 180 valuable panels of early Italian painting dating from the 13th to the 16th century. It houses the largest collection of early Italian panel paintings outside Italy. Art enthusiasts will find a clearly defined focus here, while the Palace and Playing Card Museum explores other aspects of the town’s history.
At Altenburg Palace, exhibitions explore the history of skat and the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. Skat was invented by people from Altenburg in 1813. By contrast, the Natural History Museum Mauritianum in the palace park focuses on a historic bird collection, fossils from lignite mines, and an interactive area on local flora and fauna. The collections and subjects offer different perspectives, from art and playing cards to natural history.
Architecture and Local History
The Red Spires are the surviving Romanesque towers of the former Augustinian Canons’ monastery. Since 2006, they have been recognised as a cultural monument of national significance. The crypt of St Bartholomew’s Church also dates back a long way: it is from the High Romanesque period, and the church is considered Altenburg’s oldest.
The Renaissance town hall stands in Altenburg’s market square. Its features include an octagonal stair tower with a dome and lantern, a moon clock, and an oriel with reliefs and gables. Looking at these details adds a different period and architectural style to the evidence of Romanesque architecture.
Get Involved and Explore
At the interactive KartenMACHER workshop, you can make your own deck of cards using traditional or modern techniques. Check workshop availability before your trip. The Altenburg Erlebnisportal at Markt 2 is right next to the town hall and combines analogue and digital experiences of attractions in Altenburg, the Altenburger Land region and Thuringia. These include a camera tour above Altenburg’s rooftops, audio stations about special places, and the sound of the Trost organ in a sound shower.
The Hausmann Tower, in the centre of the palace grounds, offers another perspective and rises above the other buildings. A step-free spiral ramp leads to the top; through the windows, you can look out over Altenburg’s rooftops and the surrounding countryside. Confirm visitor access before your trip. Guided tours of the Residenzschloss take place daily at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm, and include access to the ballroom and palace church, among other areas. Check current tour times before your visit.
Another Place to Visit
Altenburg Island Zoo is located on an island in the Großer Teich. It was built in the 1950s as a local wildlife park with a vivarium. It is home mainly to native animals, including goats, eagle owls and guinea pigs; its collection also includes ungulates, fur-bearing animals, birds of prey, small birds and a pheasantry. This complements the Mauritianum’s natural history exhibits with the chance to encounter animals in their own setting.
Discover more destinations: Rositz, Saara, Vollmershain, Ziegelheim, Windischleuba, Gößnitz, Lumpzig, Pleißenaue.
See the main travel overview: Altenburger Land.
