New master plan for Altenburg: the future of the Schlossberg becomes concrete!

New master plan for Altenburg: the future of the Schlossberg becomes concrete!

On June 4, 2025, high-ranking representatives of the Altenburg museums presented the new master plan “Princes in the Sleeping Beauty Castle” at a press conference. The event was attended by Uwe Melzer, District Administrator of the Altenburger Land, André Neumann, Mayor of Altenburg, and Dr. Roland Krischke, director of the Altenburg Museums, took part. The master plan, which comprises over 100 pages, is the result of several years of preparatory work and sets the course for the future development of the Altenburg Schlossberg and its museums.

This new master plan follows the “The Lighthouse on the Blue Tide” plan, which was already approved in 2017. The focus is on the topics of accessibility, inclusion and sustainability, while at the same time a vision for the future use of the properties on the Schlossberg is being formulated. The goal is a LindenauCAMPUS that integrates the museums into the educational landscape and further increases the attractiveness of Altenburg as a cultural location with its rich historical heritage.

Grow together

The presentation of the master plan comes at a time of change for the Altenburg museums. In the future, the institutions will be merged into a common purpose association, as evangelische-zeitung.de reports. Since 2020, the aim has been to unite the Lindenau Museum with the Altenburg Castle and Playing Card Museum under joint ownership. This measure is part of finding synergies and creating a uniform museum identity.

Dr. In his speech, Krischke made it clear that work was being done on the overall structure of the museum landscape. The new master plan not only serves as a basis for discussion, but also as a strategic framework for the future development of the museums. Particular attention is paid to the legacy of Bernhard August von Lindenau, who is considered a key source of inspiration for the museum landscape.

The collections and their future

Altenburg houses important collections that include East Asian art, paintings, textiles, weapons and, in particular, one of the largest playing card collections in the world. This collection contains almost 30,000 card games. A restructuring of the museum landscape envisages teamwork under central management, which will eliminate the need for individual museum management. The playing card museum and the city history museum are to be housed in the Prinzenpalais.

In addition, the castle gardens will be redesigned to bring visitors closer to the beauty of the historic complex. A sculpture mile and the modernization of the Schönhaus are planned. The Ducal Forester's House could serve as a location for artists' workshops, while renovation work on the Lindenau Museum is already being planned.

Digital perspectives

A central concern of the new master plan is the digitalization of the offering. Under the title LindenauCAMPUSdigital, access to educational opportunities is intended to be improved. The museums' exhibition operations are continuing as planned, with various themed exhibitions already scheduled to fill 2024. An annual exhibition from May 2024 will focus on the prehistoric collection, while from December 2024 an exhibition will trace the history of chocolate to Altenburg.

The Altenburg museums recorded over 70,000 visitors in 2023, which represents an increase of around 30 percent compared to the previous year. The successes of recent years, particularly in the context of anniversaries and special exhibitions, create a solid foundation for the future development of the museums, which is financed with the support of the federal government and the Free State of Thuringia.

The “Princes in the Sleeping Beauty Castle” master plan not only represents a vision of the Altenburg museums, but also an offensive strategy to strengthen the cultural identity and attractiveness of the city of Altenburg.