Schönhof building

Schönhof is the main building of the Silesian Museum in Görlitz with a high historical and cultural status. One of the three original parts of the building dates back to the founding of the city in the 13th century. The large merchant’s court often served as a refuge for guests of the city council as well as for kings and princes. In the second half of the 15th century, the building complex was transformed into a late Gothic hall house. Between the front and rear buildings there was a central hall that connected them and was a source of light.

After the great fire of the town in 1525, the medieval building was renovated in the early Renaissance style. From 1991 onwards, restoration and conversion work began for the Silesian Museum, which opened on 13 May 2006 with its permanent exhibition in the Schönhof. This impressive Renaissance building on the Lower Market (Untermarkt) in Görlitz houses a modern museum on an area of around 2,000 square metres.