Above the Saale, next to the cathedral, on the site of a former Ottonian royal palatinate is Merseburg's bishop's and later ducal castle. The history of this place, the city and regional history from prehistory and early history to the recent present, is vividly presented in the exhibitions of the Cultural History Museum Merseburg Castle with valuable exhibits. The splendid epoch of the Dukes of Saxe-Merseburg - the ducal medal cabinet and representative sculptures of the Merseburg sculptor families Hoppenhaupt, Trothe and Agner are representative - is to be emphasized as a department. Historical ignition devices and lighters as well as glass beadwork of the 19th and 20th centuries are presented as supra-regional collections. Graphics and paintings by the artist Hans Rothe (Burgliebenau near Merseburg) are also on permanent display. Changing special and cabinet exhibitions, guided tours, museum festivals and museum educational projects deepen the offer.