Heating in castles/museums

I haven't taken inventory, but I've never noticed heating in a castle. I have definitely noticed some cold ones.

Museums tend to be chilly; we have one here at home that I will not go into without a jacket on.

I suspect “freezing” is a relative judgment. Castles and museums do not have thermostats set at 0°C/32°F when they are open for business. 😉

One can always warm up if it is chilly inside; if it is too hot however, walking in the nude in public isn’t a possibility for finding relief. 😂

I doubt that you will find many castles (other than hotel conversions) that have central heating, if that's what you mean. However it is unlikely that you would encounter any that were literally freezing, even in winter. Having thick stone walls, castles tend to be cool, even in summer.

Museums tend to be very particular about both temperature and humidity levels. Cooler temperatures and lower relatively humidity are regulated to preserve the artifacts. If you think you'll be chilly, bring an extra sweater.

The short answer for castles is NO. And some of them can be colder inside than outside especially is there has been a prolonged cold spell. Depending on the museum but if located in an old castle or a somewhat ancient building the heating will be min. At least that was the case for us when we were in Germany and Prague over Christmas a few years ago. Our biggest issue was keeping our feet warm walking on all of that cold stone. And with you being from Texas your concept of cold may be very different from mine. Cold for us isn't noticeable until the low teens or single digit.

Ginger,

I've never really noticed but my impression is that there is no heating in the main parts of castles and museums, unless there are artifacts or art work that require a specific temperature range. It's not always easy to install heating in ancient, stone buildings so they won't do this unless necessary. Offices or living quarters inside those facilities will of course be climate controlled.

This is one reason why I prefer to travel in shoulder seasons. Some days can be blistering hot and it's nice to be inside a cool museum or whatever and get some "cool respite" from the heat. Temperatures in large stone buildings don't seem to vary that much.

St Vitus Cathedral in Prague was colder inside than outside on a sunny day in January.

https://www.quora.com/How-were-large-cathedrals-heated-before-the-industrial-revolution

This is an excellent question to which many might answer that those
buildings were never heated, and were thus, always cold and drafty
affairs. The obvious response would be that the congregation would
retain-- their outdoor clothing during the service. However, I do know
that some cathedrals – there is definitely one in France – in which no
heating is required.

This may come as a surprise, but those masons most certainly knew what
they were about. They must have known about heat transfer and the rate
of heat transfer. The cathedrals that do not require heating have
really thick walls. During the summer months, the walls absorb the
heat, and during the winter months the heat dissipates.

The result is, that inside the cathedral, a constant temperature is
maintained all year round. Now then, I am unaware if every such
medieval building is constructed along these lines, but I do know that
at least some of them are.

-- John Leavy, BSc. Hons. from Middlesex Polytechnic (1987)

If course the above answer means that during winter, cathedrals are colder inside than outside on warm sunny days and warmer inside than outside during cold snowy days.

In my just finished trip that included small castles and a variety of museums in Germany and in Prague, if I was wearing a scarf and gloves outside, I took them off in every case once I was inside. The weather during most of my trip was in the mid 50's to mid 60's. So inside must have felt warmer than that.

I just remember attending a church in Vienna (December) when everyone was wearing their winter coats all the way through the service.

Yes, sometimes museums will be cooler than usual because it's better for the exhibits. (Sweat condensation can be surprisingly damaging to many things, for a start.)

Good to know. Thanks everyone.

" The masons knew what they were about " - Not so . The heat transfers in large buildings were an application of the laws of thermodynamics , which was not really understood until the seventeenth century , and then only the nascent beginnings . More sophisticated understanding begins to occur in the nineteenth century . The designers and builders of structures until the late nineteenth century ( cathedrals , castles , etc. ) built in stone , with massive walls , because the walls are load bearing , and need to carry the weight of the superstructure . A recent anecdote to share - We revisited Kirche am Steinhof , in Vienna this past Sunday . Built in 1907 - 1913 , it can be quite cold in the building , as colder weather approaches . I noticed a large bin of clean , thick , blue blankets along the rear wall , meant for visitors to stay warm when the temperature in the church dropped . One of those nice Viennese touches .