smac – State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz
Staatliches Museum für Archäologie Chemnitz
A former Schocken department store designed by Erich Mendelsohn, now an archaeology museum telling 300,000 years of Saxon history. Its exhibition design has won multiple awards.
The museum occupies the Schocken department store building designed by architect Erich Mendelsohn in 1930. Its streamlined, horizontal glass-band façade is a landmark of German modern architecture. The exhibition traces the story from Ice Age hunters to the industrial era, using models, multimedia and many excavated artifacts to tell the 300,000-year history of Saxony. The narrative is clear and friendly to visitors who don't read German, with English audio guides. Adult admission is about 8 euros, and the museum is closed Mondays. It is located in the city center, right next to the Karl Marx Monument.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 10:00 am–6:00 pm (Thu until 8:00 pm)
Nearby sights
- Karl Marx Monument
- Roter Turm
- Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz – Museum am Theaterplatz
- Petrified Forest & Museum of Natural History
- Markt, Old & New Town Hall
- Museum Gunzenhauser
- Kaßberg & Kaßberg Prison Memorial
- Schloßbergmuseum & Schloßkirche