The Ekhof Theatre at Friedenstein Castle in Gotha is the oldest baroque theatre in the world with its original stage machinery still intact. Between 1681 and 1683 it was built in the western tower of the massive castle, which was itself constructed at the end of the Thirty Years’ War as a residence for the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha.

Every summer during the Ekhof Festival, the theatre enchants its visitors with plays, operas, concerts, and readings. Through sheer muscle power, the baroque stage machinery is invisibly put in motion. The scenery changes with the curtains wide open and the actors find themselves transported into a different setting before the audience’s eyes. Music suffuses this authentic illusion of baroque theatre.

Gotha’s court of the muses calls, with its famous art collections, expansive gardens and orangery. Visit the museums’ special exhibitions and dive into a baroque world, brimming with a zest for life.