The Johanneum is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

building, originally desingated as ''Stallgebäude mit Harnischkammer'' because it was constructed as the elite part of the electoral mews. It was the first museum of modern times built in 1586-1588 and is located at the Neumarkt in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. Today the Johanneum is home to the

Dresden Transport Museum The Dresden Transport Museum (German: Verkehrsmuseum Dresden) displays vehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof. The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden. The Jo ...

(''Verkehrsmuseum Dresden''), which displays vehicles of all modes of transport and their history.

History

The Johanneum was built between 1586 and 1590 as ''Stallgebäude mit Harnischkammer'', the elite stables of the adjacent

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace ( or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and List of rulers of Saxony, kings (1806–1918) of Kingdom of Saxony, Saxony from ...

.Hoppe-Münzberg, Esther: Das Kurfürstliche Stall- und Harnischkammergebäude mit Langem Gang und Stallhof - eine neue Bauaufgabe im Komplex des Dresdner Residenzschlosses. Die Schlossanlage der Renaissance und ihre frühbarocken Um- und Ausgestaltungen; in: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Sachsen (ed.): Das Residenzschloss zu Dresden, vol. 2, Petersberg 2019, pp. 397–419. The two halls on the building's ground floor provided space for 128 expensive riding-art horses imported in part from Italy. The stands for the horses were decorated with spectacular horse-paintings, modeled after the Sala dei cavalli in Mantua's Palazzo Té. In the stable, that was designed as a princely exhibition of elite horses, 35 rooms were lavishly decorated to contain horse and rider figurines, elaborate sleighs as well as an expensive arms collection of the Saxon Electors. Later also stuffed horses, a stuffed bear and wax figurines of the electors were exhibited. One of the exhibited horses, the Merseburger, became famous for its 8 m long mane. The upper floors were designed as collection rooms for the vast collection of princely

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

wardrobe A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...

and utensils for pageants of the Dresden court. The Renaissance-era building was designed as the first public museum and designed by

Paul Buchner Paul Buchner (June 1531 – 13 November 1607) was a German architect, geometer, carpenter and screw maker from Nuremberg. Life Buchner grew up in Nuremberg and was an apprentice carpenter and screw maker, training under his cousin, Leonhard ...

on behalf of Prince Elector

Christian I of Saxony Christian I of Saxony (29 October 1560 – 25 September 1591) was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. He was the sixth but second surviving son of Augustus, Elector of Saxony a ...

. The upper floor was later changed in 1730 and 1731, when on

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...

's request, the building was converted into a guest house and later into a painting gallery. The double-flight staircase was added in 1731. The royal painting collection was moved from the Dresden Castle to the ''Stallgebäude'' in 1747 and remained there until 1855.Harald Marx: ''Gemäldegalerie Dresden - Führer Alte Meister ''. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig, 3. Aufl., 2006, , pp. 8-17. After another building alteration between 1872 and 1876, the ''Stallgebäude'' was renamed the Johanneum, after the Saxonian King

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(Johann in German). The

Dresden Porcelain Collection The Dresden Porcelain Collection () is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (State Art Collections) of Dresden, Germany. It is located in the Zwinger Palace. History The collection was founded in 1715 by the Saxon Prince-Elector Augustus th ...

was moved into the Johanneum in 1876, followed in 1877 by the

Dresden Armory The Dresden Armoury or Dresden Armory (German: ''Rüstkammer''), also known as the Dresden Historical Museum (German: ''Historisches Museum Dresden''), is one of the world's largest collections of ceremonial weapons, armour and historical textile ...

collection. The building was severely damaged during the February 13, 1945

bombing of Dresden in World War II The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American Area bombardment, aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy ...

. Its reconstruction began in 1950, and the renovation of the facade was finished in 1960. Since this reconstruction, the Johanneum has been home to the

Notes and references

External links

Website of the Dresden Transport Museum
{{Authority control Museums in Dresden Buildings and structures in Dresden Rebuilt buildings and structures in Dresden