Green Vault

Augustus the Strong turned his private treasury into a public museum between 1723 and 1729, which makes it among the oldest museums in Europe. It exists in two forms today. The Historic Green Vault presents objects in the reconstructed baroque rooms without cases, on mirrored walls and gilded consoles as Augustus arranged them, entered through an airlock with numbers strictly limited. The New Green Vault upstairs shows the highlights in modern cases, including the Court at Delhi, a table with a hundred and thirty-two gilded figures. In 2019 a break-in took jewellery from the Historic Vault; most was recovered in 2022, damaged.

History

In 1547 Elector Moritz of Saxony added a wing to Dresden Castle, and four rooms on its first floor, with moulded plaster ceilings and column bases and capitals painted a bluish green, became known as the Green Vault; protected by thick walls and iron shutters and doors, they served through the 17th century as the electors' private treasury for documents and jewels. Between 1723 and 1729 Augustus the Strong turned them into a public museum: the Hall of Treasures and the Corner Cabinet were complete by the inventory of 1725, an extension followed in 1727, and the architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann built a suite of eight interconnecting rooms to show his bronzes and his works in silver, gold, amber and ivory. The New Green Vault opened in 2004 on the second floor of the rebuilt castle, and in 2006 the Historic Green Vault reopened in the first-floor rooms as they had been in 1733, the year of its founder's death (Wikipedia, Green Vault).

What to look for

• The Historic Vault - objects displayed without cases in reconstructed baroque rooms.
• The New Vault - highlights in modern cases, including the Court at Delhi.
• The museum of 1723 - one of the earliest public museum displays in Europe.
• The 2019 theft - a break-in whose recovered items are shown with their damage.

When to go

Year-round; the Historic Vault uses timed tickets with a strict daily cap and sells out well ahead, so booking is essential. The New Vault is easier to enter.

Practical notes

Historic Vault tickets must be booked in advance and are limited daily. No bags are allowed and photography is banned. It closes Tuesdays.

Nearby

The Zwinger lies west; the Frauenkirche is east.

Key facts