The Historic Toy Museum in

Freinsheim Freinsheim (; Palatine German: Fränsem) is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With about 5,000 inhabitants, it is among the state's smaller towns. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a ...

(''Historisches Spielzeugmuseum Freinsheim'') in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

is a private collection of old

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

Exhibition

The exhibits date from the time of the Industrial Revolution around 1890 to the Second World War. Most of them are products by the firm of Bing in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

(''

Bing Bing most often refers to: * Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer * Microsoft Bing, a web search engine Bing may also refer to: Food and drink * Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread * Bing (soft drink), a UK brand * Bing cherry, a varie ...

Werke Nürnberg''). The museum curator is Marion Groll. The collection by Uwe Groll was the basis for the private museum opened on 2 April 2011. This collection originally concentrated on model railways and accessories of 0 Gauge from the House of Bing. Over the course of years Groll became so fascinated by the firm’s history and the variety of their products, that the collection grew ever wider.

Themes

The collection comprises about 1,000 exhibits covering various lines from Bing’s range of products. They were made before 1932 and are mostly in their original condition: *

Model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

s (steam, clockwork, electric) and railway stations * Steam engines, motorised models * Cars, boats, planes * Bears,

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

soft toy A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be cal ...

s * Doll's kitchens,

doll's house A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

s and their accessories *

Board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

s and

party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillian; ...

playing cards A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...

Cinematograph Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the Cin ...

s, children's gramophones, Bingola * Children’s books, brochures, catalogues, advertising material * Physical and technical educational products * Typewriters, cameras, irons * Household items (enamel, copper,

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

) * Refrigerators, ovens * Model soldiers, table lamps

Haus an der Bach

The museum building, the "House by the Stream" (''Haus an der Bach'') originally went back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and was renovated as a listed building. It lies opposite the Four-Pipe Well (''Vier-Röhren-Brunnen'') a former Eichbrunnen for the barrels of the vintner. The house has 3 storeys and a usable area of 300m² for exhibitions and the museum café.

External links

Museum website
{{Coord, 49, 30, 19.67, N, 8, 12, 45.3290, E, type:landmark_region:DE-BY, display=title Toy museums Museums in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Bad Dürkheim (district) de:Historisches Spielzeugmuseum Freinsheim