Dolls from Coburg's Former Puppet Museum Seek New Exhibition Home
- Thousands of dolls find new home in latest display setting
Gearing up for a grand return to the public eye, the close to 2,000 dolls from Coburg's ex-Puppet Museum are in search of a new exhibition site and a snazzy concept to boot. A smidgen of the exhibition pieces have found temporary refuge in museums in Sonneberg and Bamberg, according to Louay Yassin, the city's spokesperson, who spoke to the German Press Agency. Negotiations with other potential venues are ongoing.
The bulk of the Puppet Museum's collection, which shuttered its doors at the end of 2022, remains stored at the Kulturfabrik Cortendorf, an artsy hub outside of Coburg. The city's cultural department is brainstorming ways to bring back the museum's 4,000-plus exhibits, or at least a chunk of them, to the public's delighted gaze. Alas, capturing the dolls' essence in the limelight isn’t as straightforward as it once was during the '90s heyday.
Originally, presenting parts of the exhibition at various spots had been an idea floating around for a while. However, Coburg currently lacks museum educators with the expertise to curate and present the collection professionally. The museum's former director now keeps busy at the German Toy Museum in Sonneberg, Thuringia.
Attendance numbers at the Puppet Museum had dwindled over the years. When it first opened as a private institution in 1987, it was eventually taken over by the city in 2007. Regrettably, the public's interest continued to wane. In November 2022, the city council decided to close the museum in Old Town by year's end, citing decreased visitor interest and the building's inaccessibility for wheelchair users.
A private foundation initially offered to shoulder the collection and set up an exhibition in Rödental near Coburg. However, the project fell flat in 2023 due to financial constraints, as reported by the foundation. Since May 2024, the dolls, dollhouses, accessories, and other items have been lodged in the Kulturfabrik Cortendorf in North-East Coburg.
The dolls and associated paraphernalia primarily hail from the period between 1800 and 1960. The museum aimed to demonstrate how the upper class used toys as part of child-rearing practices. In 1987, the Lossnitzers, a couple from Ettlingen near Karlsruhe, opened the Puppet Museum and displayed their private collection there. Given that two-thirds of the exhibits originated in North Franconia or South Thuringia, the museum was set up in Coburg.
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Though a definitive plan for the dolls' new home hasn't been set in stone yet, Coburg—a city steeped in Bavarian history and culture—offers a wealth of museums and exhibition spaces. Notable options for the dolls' possible relocation could include neighboring cities with strong cultural appeal, such as Munich, known for its gallery-lined streets and museum-rich landscape. Other potential destinations might be Ingolstadt or Augsburg, both brimming with cultural charms.
In light of the ongoing negotiations for the new exhibition site, it would be prudent for the city's cultural department to consider vocational training for museum educators who can professionally curate and present the collection, thereby enhancing the community policy and engaging more visitors. As the dolls and related items showcase a significant part of lifestyle and home-and-garden practices during the 1800-1960 period, their exhibition in cities such as Munich, Ingolstadt, or Augsburg, all renowned for their cultural attractions, could provide a fitting environment for the dolls to regain their prominence in the public's gaze.
