Palace tour: architecture and art, history and tales
If you want to know more about the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace), the great palace courtyardwith its eye-catching sgraffito decoration or the small courtyard with its Renaissance loggias and towers,
meet me underneath the transparent lozenge-patterned roof of the small courtyard. Follow me on a
90-minute tour through 900 years of history of this complex, which was destroyed in World War II
and has now almost completely been rebuilt. Once the seat of government and at the same time
the residence of the Saxon prince electors and kings, it is now home to a variety of museums, and so we
will browse through the Fürstengalerie (Gallery of Princes) and through the collections of
the Grünes Gewölbe, Türckische Cammer, Riesensaal and Münzkabinett (Coin Collection) to have
a closer look at the most outstanding pieces in each of them. Descending the Englische Treppe
(English Staircase) we may feel like the Wettin family’s state guests.
Tip: This guided tour can be combined with a visit to the Schlosskapelle, established in
the sixteenth century as one of the first Lutheran chapels and still under reconstruction.
Its curvilinear vault is a gem, and not only for architecture enthusiasts.