Schatzkammer

Treasuries were in palaces or forts, was to their function of safes and vaults of the banks taken over.

In ancient treasures were kept in treasuries. In churches and monasteries then treasuries were common, where the treasure was not collected therein in the often valuable containers, but in fact the custody relics.

Originally kunterbunt all the possessions of the princes gathered in these treasuries. From the 15th century they began to weed out documents in libraries and archives, and from the mid 16th century, they began to see art as their own. It began with the creation of art or curiosity cabinets. A strict distinction between works of art and valuables was, however, until the 18th century. Museums often call the room with the most valuable pieces of treasure.

The Treasury is in many fairy tales and legends of the repository of the treasure, which consists mostly of precious gemstones, pearls, gold and silver. In addition, in some fairy tale a particular object such as a lamp, a doll, the scepter of power or the like. One of the most famous treasures is lying in a cave chamber discovered Ali Baba.

Examples of treasuries are

• The Gothic Tresekammer of Lübeck Council in St. Mary's Church and the Tresekammer the Bremen Council in the Church of Our Lady
• The Green Vault in Dresden with the treasures of the Wettin
• The Treasury of Trier city library with the Codex Egberti of Archbishop Egbert of Trier (a World Documentary Heritage )
• The Treasury of Aachen Cathedral with one of the most important church treasuries of Europe
• The Essen Cathedral Treasury
• The Treasury of the Munich Residence with the treasures of Wittelsbach

• The Hofburg with the treasury of the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna, among other things, the imperial crown and the Austrian imperial crown are shown.
• The Treasury of the Teutonic Order in the German religious house in Vienna

• The treasury of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul with a globally unique jewelery collection