About the museum
The Museum of Art and Cultural History Schloss Gottorf is part of the largest museum complex between Hamburg and Copenhagen. In its permanent exhibition and special shows, it presents the highlights of Schleswig-Holstein’s art and cultural history. The collection comprises around 120,000 exhibits from the Middle Ages to today. It is marked by its diversity, contains genuine treasures, ranging from church art from the Middle Ages to contemporary paintings, from furniture to arts and crafts.
A large part of the permanent exhibition has previously been on display in the rooms of the castle, which is closed due to extensive renovation and modernisation work. However, the Schleswig Museum Island remains open.
In autumn 2026, the Museum of Art and Cultural History will reopen its ‘Gallery of Modern Art’, which will display 20th and 21st century art in an area of more than 2,000 square metres. The valuable collection of Rolf and Bettina Horn, which is housed there, will enter into a lively dialogue with the museum's collection. One focus will be on Expressionism, which has long been considered a highlight of the Museum Island.
The reconstructed Gottorf Globe, known as the first planetarium ever, is a particular highlight, also the reconstructed Baroque garden which encloses it. MORE...
The museum has also long made a name for itself with exhibitions by nationally and internationally renowned artists, whose works will be presented in buildings around the castle in future. MORE...
The house dates back to 1875.
The roots of the Museum of Art and Cultural History Schloss Gottorf are in the Thaulow Museum, founded in Kiel in 1875 and originally consisting of an artistic trade collection. As for so many museums from this period, a private collector was behind it - Gustav Ferdinand Thaulow.
Normally, a further collection focus was added by each new museum director. Due to World War 2, there was a huge upheaval. The museum inventories were brought to Schleswig, where the State Museum of Art and Cultural History (now: Museum of Art and Cultural History Schloss Gottorf) was opened as the follower of the Thaulow Museum.
