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Collections

For 150 years

Works of art, everyday objects, scientific apparatus, industrial products and various media have been collected under the aegis of the city for over 150 years. These collections preserve important testimonies to the history of the city and its citizens and reflect Dresden's role as a centre of culture, science and industry as well as the integration of the private and local into European history from the Middle Ages to the present day.

A journey through the history and development of Dresden

The collections reflect Dresden's development into a cultural metropolis, a laboratory for social and artistic experiments and a centre of science and high technology. Since the beginnings of the city's collecting activities at the end of the 19th century, the collections have experienced numerous political upheavals. The period of National Socialism and the turmoil of the Second World War and the immediate post-war period in particular led to significant losses. Tracing lost collections is therefore an important and ongoing task for municipal museums.

The modern guardians of cultural heritage

Today, the collections of the museum network are managed and expanded by the City Museum, the Municipal Gallery, the Technical Collections, the Leonhardi Museum and the Palitzsch Museum according to scientific and museological criteria. The focus is on what is specific to Dresden, the quality and originality of an object, its exemplary significance and its symbolic value.

The museums offer a fascinating journey through the history and culture of one of Germany's most important cities. They are living places of remembrance and innovation that preserve and bring to life Dresden's cultural heritage. Discover the diversity and richness of these unique collections in the exhibitions of the museums of the city of Dresden or digitally