The Kaisertrutz was built between 1490 and 1520 as the bastion of the Reichenbach Gate. At that time, it was a new type of fortification intended to protect the access of the trade route Via Regia to Görlitz.
During the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops settled in the building and the imperial soldiers besieged it without success. Since then, the building has been known as the ‘Kaisertrutz’. In later centuries, it fulfilled various other functions, for example as the headquarters of the Görlitz city guard. Since 1932, the Kaisertrutz has been the exhibition building for the Görlitz collections. With its five floors, it offers a total exhibition area of around 2,500 square metres. Three floors house permanent exhibitions on the city and regional history, while one floor is home to the ‘Gallery of Modern Art’. A further floor serves as a special exhibition area.
This point is also a stop on our audio guide.
