Follow the reconstruction of the palace after World War II, delight the heart with music, or get to know what life was like in the Stone Age – The exhibits and documentation rooms in Bruchsal Palace include a wide variety of offerings. There are also many fascinating special exhibitions on art and culture.
Exhibition rooms in Bruchsal Palace.
March 1, 1945 was a dark day for Bruchsal Palace: the day of destruction. What did the ruins of the palace look like, and what happened next? These questions are answered by the "Bruchsal Palace – Built, Destroyed, Rebuilt" exhibition on the ground floor. Remains of the wreckage are a remembrance of the destroyed furnishings. The artistic techniques of craftsmen from the 18th century are also documented in detail.
Original sculpture: a dwarf from the garden.
Preserved stone fragments of the palace and other buildings from Bruchsal are housed in the lapidarium: it can be found on the lower story of the southern connecting structure and can be visited as part of special tours. Remains of the three-dimensional decorations are a testament to the work of the court sculptor: coats of arms, letters, and pieces of balustrades can be seen, along with cherubs and dwarfs from the garden. From the palace church, a letter from the facade and a head from a life-sized sculpture of a pope have been preserved.
"Pneuma Accordion Jazz" orchestrion, called "Tino Rossi."
The German Music Machine Museum presents one of the most important collections of its kind in the world on three floors of Bruchsal Palace. Approximately 500 music machines from the 17th to 21st centuries can be seen, and sometimes, can be heard: pianos and violins, crank organs, musical clocks, and automatons. The collection includes an organ that, according to legend, was intended for the Titanic, and a self-playing grand piano that belonged to Konrad Adenauer. It's a musical journey through the drawing rooms, fairs, and taverns of times past!
Bruchsal from the Stone Age to today.
The City Museum on the fourth story of Bruchsal Palace gives visitors insight into the history of Bruchsal and its surroundings, from the Stone Age to the present day. A presentation on experimental archeology brings daily life from 6,000 years ago to life in an exhibit that is particularly popular with school groups. Additional focal points of the exhibition are the revolution of 1848, the penal system in Bruchsal, and the destruction of the city in World War II.
Come and see the "elephant clock" on the upper story of the Music Machine Museum. The magnificent table clock, created circa 1760 in Paris, was once displayed in the Red Room of Bruchsal Palace. Its clock face is carried by an elephant, while the musical works play eight different dances.
