Kurioses & Besonderes – Entdeckungen in der Wunderkammer

About the exhibition

200 years ago, the Ernestine duchies were reorganised and the Dual Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was created. Under the title "Coburg | Gotha | 1826", an exhibition at various locations in Gotha and Coburg will focus on the anniversary of the dynasty in 2026: While Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1784-1844) takes centre stage in Coburg, Gotha traces his networks at court. Who were the people who worked around the duke and shaped the administration and (re)organisation of the collections in the course of the change of dynasty? The anniversary exhibition documents the upheaval in the form of letters of homage in silk and paper and tells the story of the collections through exhibits in silver filigree, majolica, shells and minerals as well as on paper. It shows the breaks in the collections, but also and especially their continuity.

The Gotha exhibition can be seen from 12 April to 5 July 2026 and is a joint project of the Gotha Research Library of the University of Erfurt and the Friedenstein Foundation Gotha. The extensive supporting programme can be found in the flyer or on the exhibition page.

The Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation is presenting an accompanying exhibition in the ducal apartments in the north wing from 12 April 2026 to 3 January 2027. Illuminated steles will shed light on the background and protagonists of the events around 1826, in particular Ernst I and his wife Luise. What impact did the reorganisation of the Ernestine territories have on the Thuringian residential landscape as a whole? In addition, the rooms of Duke Ernst I on the Friedenstein will be brought back to life with historical illustrations by Ferdinand Rothbart.

Please also note the events in Coburg.