Hello and welcome to the Münzkabinett. You are in one of the fourteen museums that make up the Verbund der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden – the city's group of state museums. In total, the Münzkabinett's holdings amount to roughly 300,000 objects. That makes it one of the largest universal collections in Germany along with the Münzkabinett in Berlin and the one in Munich. It is of European significance.
The collection goes back to Duke Georg the Bearded in the first half of the 16th century. The Saxon electors and kings who succeeded Georg expanded it with specific purchases and by incorporating entire collections and donations. In the early 18th century – during the heyday of the Baroque period – Dresden's Münzkabinett boasted one of the most famous collections of its kind in Europe. The universal nature of the collection and its organisation into various sections was already clearly identifiable.
In the course of its history, the museum has moved several times. Up to the 19th century, the collection was first housed in the electoral palace – the Residenzschloss – then in the electoral prince's palace on Taschenberg hill, and finally in the Japanese Palace. Since the beginning of the Enlightenment, the Münzkabinett has increasingly evolved into a centre of scholarly research.
Important inspectors and directors have worked here. In 1877 the collection returned to the Residenzschloss. From 1911 to 1945 it was housed in separate rooms in the Chancellery in what used to be the stable courtyard – the Stallhof.
At the end of the Second World War, the Münzkabinett ceased to exist. But fortunately, only briefly. The Red Army's Trophy Commission transported the collection to the Soviet Union. However, following the Soviet government's decision to return trophy items in 1958, it was repatriated along with other collections. Museum staff at the time used a building in Güntzstrasse for storage and organised individual and permanent exhibitions at the Albertinum. Since the summer of 2002 the collection has had its own permanent home here in the Georgenbau – the Georg Building, which is part of Dresden's Residenzschloss.
Today, the collection is very large indeed. It includes coins from every country, from ancient times to the present, as well as historical and modern medals, decorations and badges, bank notes and historical bonds, coin and medal dies, seals, models, pre-monetary currency and coin-making machines and equipment. We are especially proud of our collection of Saxon coins and medals; they offer an excellent insight into the country's history. More importantly, that part of the collection is the largest of its kind in the world. The Münzkabinett also holds many of the coin hoards discovered on Saxon territory. An extensive specialist numismatic library is available for scholarly research.
The permanent exhibition first opened in June 2015. And now the moment has come for you to let it cast its spell. Enjoy the sheer richness of this stunning collection, which has evolved over time. Dive into the world of money, and prepare to be amazed at how beautiful and fascinating decorations and medals can be.
