Tour of Friedenstein Castle
Over the course of this tour we show you the castle’s baroque and classical reception rooms, the Art Chamber, the ancestral gallery, and the unique Ekhof Theatre. Alongside the historical furnishings, during this tour you can marvel at precious clocks, porcelain, paintings, coins, and much else besides. The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha’s European history comes alive.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: Entry + the price of the tour
Tour of the Ducal Museum
Over the centuries the Dukes of Gotha amassed remarkable treasures. As the immense castle could no longer house them all itself, Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha built the Ducal Museum in the park opposite Friedenstein Castle. The elegant classical building, opened in 1879, has had a varied history. Following a costly restoration, the art collections have been on display here once again since October 2013: Alongside one of Europe’s oldest Egyptian collections can be found a Chinese cabinet, precious Japanese lacquerware, antique vases, the broad collection of paintings – amongst which are the “Gotha Lovers” and paintings by Cranach, Rubens, and Caspar David Friedrich – rare drawings, sculptures by the mannerist Adriaen de Vries and the classicist Jean-Antoine Houdon, and a unique collection of Böttger earthenware and porcelain from Meissen, Japan, and China.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: Entry + the price of the tour
Amber, Gold and Nautilus – Friedenstein Castle’s Art Chamber
Friedenstein Castle’s Art Chamber, opened in 2009, is amongst Thuringia’s biggest cultural attractions. It is the heart of the extensive art collections which were established by Ernst I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg – also known as Ernst the Pious. For the castle’s founder, just as for his successors, the treasures ivory, amber, gold, silver, and emerald symbolised more than just wealth and power.
Duration: 1 hour
Price: Entry + the price of the tour
The Ekhof Theatre – The magical baroque stage
The Ekhof Theatre in the western tower is a particular gem here at Friedenstein Castle, the oldest baroque theatre in the world with largely preserved stage machinery. Duke Frederick I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg wanted state-of-the-art engineering for his theatre, an Italian scene-changing machine which could transform the entire set in just eight seconds. Alongside an explanation of the machinery the theatre’s history comes alive, a history which is closely linked with August Wilhelm Iffland and Conrad Ekhof, the man who gave his name to the theatre and is hailed as the “Father of German Stagecraft”. Goethe and Voltaire were amongst the theatre’s many distinguished guests.
Duration: 1 hour
Price: Entry + the price of the tour