Offers for Guided Tours

With the unique Baroque cabinet of curiosities in Europe, which has been completely preserved in its authentic location, you can experience an original museum concept from the 18th century in the Historic Orphanage. Our audio tour offers exciting background information and stories about the collection and its objects.

The Francke Foundations' Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities is located on the roof of the Historic Orphanage. Listen to exciting stories about the collection and its artefacts.

The oldest and most impressive building of the Francke Foundations is still the centre of the school town with numerous sights and exhibitions. Let our audio guide accompany you on your tour or listen to the programme from the comfort of your own home.

Let our audio guide accompany you on your tour of the Historic Orphanage. Or listen to the programme from the comfort of your own home.

Take a walk and learn about the exciting history of the Francke Foundations! One of the most important educational institutions in Germany in the 18th century experienced an unprecedented rescue operation after 1990. The historic building fabric was preserved, but in a pitiful condition. The great commitment of many people made it possible to restore the architecture to its former glory and to give a home to an unparalleled educational cosmos.

The guided tour traces the Reformation heritage in the valuable cultural-historical collections such as the Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities and the Library Hall Kulissenbibliothek. Innovations in the educational system, the institutionalisation of the Social Welfare and the founding of the world’s first Bible Institute in 1710 at the Halle Orphanage make the Francke Foundations a lively place for the completion of Martin Luther’s Reformation.

With the construction of the orphanage August Hermann Francke laid the foundation stone for his life's work. Started in 1698 as a shelter for poor and orphans just outside Halle, it developed into a unique school town within 30 years. The tour through the Francke Foundations makes you familiar with their history and present and leads you through the historical area of the Lindenhof surrounded by timber-framed buildings to the most important sights and monuments.

Immerse yourself in the knowledge cosmos of the Baroque. We will show you the highlights of Francke's treasures from the Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural and the library. In the only completely preserved baroque curiosity cabinet in Germany, 3,000 natural objects, curiosities and artefacts from all over the world convey a unique impression of an early modern microcosm. In the Historical Library, the more than 50,000 books in the Kulissenmagazin tower in front of you and hold true book treasures.

Die Architektur der Stiftungen ist nicht nur einzigartig, sie weckt bei vielen Menschen auch Erinnerungen an eine Zeit, in der der Wiederaufbau unsicher schien und dennoch viele den Mut hatten, anzupacken. Mit einem neuen virtuellen Rundgang lässt sich diese Geschichte nun aus nächster Nähe erleben: in digitalen Wackelbildern mit Vorher-Nachher-Effekt, mit Augmented Reality (AR), mit spannenden Informationen, ikonischen Bildern und persönlichen Geschichten.