Schlossmuseum Arnstadt
About This Site
The Schlossmuseum fills the Neues Palais, a baroque city palace Prince Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen built between 1729 and 1734,[1] with the former princely collections of the House of Schwarzburg. Its best-known holding is Mon plaisir, a miniature baroque residence in eighty-two scenes[2] that Princess Auguste Dorothea spent thirty-five years of widowhood building[3] — currently under restoration, with an interim exhibition showing selected pieces on a rotating theme.[4]
A palace built for a princely collection, 1729–1734
Prince Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen had the Neues Palais built between 1729 and 1734,[1] and the reconstructed baroque rooms inside now hold furniture and art from the former princely collections of Schwarzburg.[3]
Mon plaisir: thirty-five years of widowhood
The palace's most singular holding is Mon plaisir, a doll city Princess Auguste Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt (1666–1751) built and expanded across the thirty-five years she outlived her husband:[3] eighty-two scenes, three hundred and ninety-one wax figures, twenty-six houses and display cases, every dress and piece of furniture made by hand — a complete baroque residence in miniature.[2]
What is on show now, since 18 May 2025
Mon plaisir has been under restoration since 2022,[4] and its eighty-two rooms have not been open to the public since January 2025.[3] In their place, since 18 May 2025 the museum runs an interim exhibition, "Kleine Stadt, Große Wunder" — Small City, Great Wonders — that puts selected pieces on show in five new display cases and one historical one, with a new theme roughly every three to four months; the first was baroque fashion.[4]
Questions visitors ask
- When was the Neues Palais built?
- Prince Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen had it built between 1729 and 1734.[1]
- What is Mon plaisir?
- A miniature Baroque doll city Princess Auguste Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt built and expanded over thirty-five years of widowhood: eighty-two scenes, 391 wax figures, twenty-six houses and display cases, every piece made by hand.[2]
- Can visitors see Mon plaisir today?
- The eighty-two rooms have been closed for restoration since January 2025; since 18 May 2025 an interim exhibition, "Kleine Stadt, Große Wunder," shows selected pieces on a rotating theme every three to four months.[4]
Sources
- Sehenswürdigkeiten in Arnstadt — Stadt Arnstadt, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Mon Plaisir (Puppenstadt) — Wikipedia, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Schlossmuseum — Bachstadt Arnstadt, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Mon plaisir neu entdeckt: Interimsausstellung im Schlossmuseum Arnstadt — Stadt Arnstadt, retrieved 30 August 2026
Visit Information
€3.50; under 6 free
50.8353, 10.9501