Gottorf Castle
Schloss Gottorf
A ducal castle on an island in the Schlei that houses the Schleswig-Holstein State Museums, famous for its giant Gottorf Globe.
Gottorf Castle sits on a small island in the Schlei near Schleswig and was once the palace of the Holstein-Gottorf dukes. It is now home to the state museums of art, cultural history, and archaeology. The collections range from prehistoric bog bodies and the Nydam ship to medieval art and German Expressionist painting. In the rebuilt Baroque gardens behind the castle is a replica of the Gottorf Globe. Visitors can sit inside the globe, for more than ten people at a time, to watch a rotating starry sky, a marvel of 17th-century planetarium design. Admission is about 14 euros, and globe visits require a reservation. The castle is about 4 kilometers from Haithabu, so both can be visited in one day.
Opening hours
About 10:00 am–5:00 pm (closed Mondays in winter)
Nearby sights
- Schleswig Cathedral (St. Peter)
- Schlei Boat Trip
- Viking Museum Haithabu
- Holm Fishing Quarter
- St. John's Convent
- Danevirke
- Arnis
- Kappeln & Herring Fence