Altenburg Castle

Emperor Frederick Barbarossa stayed six times between 1165 and 1185 on a porphyry rock above the town of Altenburg, and in 1455 two Saxon princes were kidnapped from here. Today Altenburg Castle shows princely living quarters, a Baroque ballroom, a palace church with the organ that Johann Sebastian Bach played, and a museum that suits the town like no other: Altenburg is regarded as the home of the card game Skat, and the castle houses Europe's most comprehensive playing card museum of its kind.

History: imperial palace, princely kidnapping, ducal residence

The castle is first mentioned in 976 under Emperor Otto II. Under Barbarossa the imperial palace was expanded in the 12th century, and in 1180 he invested Otto of Wittelsbach with the Duchy of Bavaria here. The Wettins took over in 1307. In 1455 the knight Kunz von Kauffungen abducted the princes Ernst and Albrecht from the castle, an act that went down in history as the Altenburg Princes' Robbery. Between 1706 and 1744 Dukes Frederick II and Frederick III turned the castle into a Baroque palace. From 1826 to 1918 it was the residence of the House of Saxe-Altenburg, and since the end of 1918 it has been used by the town. Two major fires, in 1868 and 1987, destroyed parts of the complex.

What to see

• Playing card museum: Founded in 1923 as Germany's first playing card museum with donations from the Altenburg playing card factory. Almost everything was taken away in 1946, but the collection grew again and is now regarded as the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe.
• Palace church of St. George: Built 1404 to 1414, with a Late Gothic star vault, a secco painting of 1488 and the tomb slab of Electress Margaretha, mother of the kidnapped princes. The Trost organ of 1735 to 1739 was played by Bach and later by Franz Liszt.
• Ballroom: The two-storey hall, about 8 metres high, with marble columns and a ceiling painting of Cupid and Psyche, was begun in 1730 and rebuilt after a fire in 1865.
• Ducal apartments: Living culture from the 17th to the 20th century, plus porcelain, an armoury and a clock collection.
• Hausmann tower and the "Flasche": The 32-metre Hausmann tower from the 12th century has no floors, just a step-free spiral ramp so that cannons could be hauled up. The "Flasche" (bottle) is a Romanesque keep with walls up to 4 metres thick.

Good to know

By the early 1970s the organ was barely playable. Castle organist Felix Friedrich pushed for it to be restored to its 1739 state by 1976, and the GDR even released hard currency for the work. Bach is thought to have suggested the deep 32-foot reed stop, unusual in such a relatively small church. A painting in the castle recalls the investiture of Otto of Wittelsbach as Duke of Bavaria.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Castle: all year, Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays 10:00–17:00. Hausmann tower 10:00–16:30.
• Guided tours of the Bach Hall, ballroom and palace church with recorded organ music: daily at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00, €3 on top of admission.
• Admission to the castle and playing card museum, including special exhibitions and the Hausmann tower: €8, reduced €6, family ticket €15.

Getting there and parking

From Altenburg station it is about a 20-minute walk up through the castle park; alternatively, bus lines I, L, S and W run to the Theater stop, 4 minutes from the castle. By car, use the paid car parks on Heinrich-Gottfried-Trost-Weg (3 minutes to the castle) and at the Marstall on the castle hill. Visitors with limited mobility may briefly drive into the courtyard.

Tripto tip

Allow two to three hours and plan around one of the guided tours at 11:00, 13:00 or 15:00, which take you into the ballroom, Bach Hall and palace church. Take your time in the playing card museum even if you do not play Skat: the collection spans several centuries and many countries. The walk up through the castle park from the station is the nicest way to arrive.