Kunstkammers in Europe See also map of Europe The first mention we have of a kunstkammer is in Vienna in 1553. The Hapsburg Kunstkammer was founded by Ferdinand I (1521-64), King of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia and from 1558 also Holy Roman Emperor. This was followed by the Kunstkammer of Dresden, established by Elector (1553-86) August of Saxony, most probably around 1560. In the years 1563 to 1567 an impressive building of four wings was erected in Munich to house the Kunstkammer of Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria (1550-79), together with his other collections. With Samuel Quiccheberg acting as artistic adviser to the duke, the arrangement of the kunstkammer was finally completed in 1578. Some of the collection's treasures were lost during the Thirty Years War (1618-48), and no attempts were subsequently made to restore the collection to its former glory. In 1573 work began on a similar building project at the Schloss Ambras near Innsbruck for Ferdinand II, Archduke (1564-95) of Tyrol. As the son of Emperor Ferdinand I, he had inherited part of the Vienna Kunstkammer, which he arranged in the newly-erected premises together with his own collections from Prague, where he had previously served as regent. (The collection was sold in 1605 to Ferdinand's nephew, Emperor Rudolf II, but remained at Ambras). Ferdinand's brother, Archduke (1540-90) Karl II, set up his own kunstkammer in Graz. The Hapsburg Kunstkammer was split up yet again following the death of Emperor Maximilian II (1564-76) - this time between his six sons, who all proceeded to establish their own kunstkammer. The oldest son, who succeeded as Emperor Rudolf II (1576-1612), took his share with him when he moved residence from Vienna to Prague in 1583. The Rudolfian Kunstkammer, along with the Emperor's other collections, was placed in the Castle of Prague, but divided up once more after his death. The portion allotted to Maximilian's second-oldest son Matthias - after Rudolph elected as Emperor (1612-19) - was apparently the only one to remain in Vienna, the younger brothers having taken away their shares for their own collections. The Electoral Prince's Kunstkammer was established in Berlin by Joachim II, the Elector of Brandenburg (1535-71). This collection disappeared or was destroyed during the Thirty Years War, and a new collection was built up by Friedrich Wilhelm 'the Great Elector' (1640-88). The same fate befell the Kunstkammer of the Dukes of Württemburg in Stuttgart. This collection was established by Duke Friedrich I (1593-1608), but most of it was either captured or sold during the Thirty Years War. Eberhard III (1633-74) started up his new kunstkammer in 1654 following the purchase of a private collection. The Kunstkammer of the Landgraves of Hesse in Kassel was also located in its own building, erected 1591-93, alongside the Landgrave's other collections. Under Moritz the Learned of Hesse-Kassel (1592-1627), the city became a centre for German Renaissance scholarship, due partly to the extensive art collections assembled by Moritz' father, Elector (1567-92) Wilhelm the Wise. The Kassel Kunstkammer was much frequented by contemporary scholars - among these were Bernhard Paludanus and Ole Worm. The Kunstkammer of Gottorp was founded around 1650 by Duke Friedrich III of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1616-1659). It was set up in conjunction with the Library at Gottorp Castle at Schleswig. In 1651 some of the specimens from the Cabinet of Specimens assembled by the Dutch physician Bernhard Paludanus (1550-1633) were acquired for the Duke's kunstkammer. The Gottorp Kunstkammer was transported to Copenhagen in 1750, the majority of it being taken into the Royal Danish Kunstkammer the following year. The Royal Danish Kunstkammer was established around 1650 by King Frederik III (1648-70). After first being located at Copenhagen Castle, it was later, together with other royal collections, arranged in a building specially constructed for the purpose. The Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel also started their own collections during the 1600s. And when Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1704-14) established some time after 1705 a kunstkammer at Schloss Salzdahlum, he modelled it directly after the Danish Kunstkammer. One of the latest kunstkammers to be created was that of Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725) in Saint Petersburg. It was established in its own premises in 1714, and was opened to the public in 1719. The opinions and ideas of the German philosopher Leibnitz regarding the collections of the Tsar were taken up by Peter the Great, who wanted his subjects to be able to 'look and learn'. The contents of the collection had been purchased in Germany and Holland, and one year before the opening, the foundation stone had already been laid for a new kunstkammer building. The Kunstkammer was transferred to this new building in 1728 where it was amalgamated with the Tsar's other collections. There were also several princes who created their own private kunstkammers - alongside the great official collections. These may well have been not just kunstkammers, but collections of paintings, coins, weaponry and porcelain. Among scholars, the nobility and the bourgeoisie, there could also be found more modest collections, which at the time were still referred to as kunstkammers. To previous page Kunstkammers To next page The Theorists