Person

Samuel von Brukenthal

1721–1803 · 18th century

Samuel von Brukenthal was a Transylvanian Saxon nobleman and statesman who governed the Grand Principality of Transylvania for Maria Theresa and Joseph II from the 1770s to 1787. A collector of paintings, books and minerals, he built a baroque palace in Hermannstadt (Sibiu) whose collections opened to the public in 1817 as the Brukenthal Museum, one of the oldest museums in Europe.

Samuel von Brukenthal
Image: Unidentified painter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Grand Principality of Transylvania

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Samuel von Brukenthal. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-von-brukenthal
MLA
“Samuel von Brukenthal.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-von-brukenthal. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Samuel von Brukenthal.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-von-brukenthal.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Samuel von Brukenthal’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-von-brukenthal (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻