Hessisches puppen museum

When the opportunity to visit a dolls museum with toys dating back to early Greek times came up, I was totally up for it, especially, since, its a fairly badly kept secret, that I would have always loved a dolls house.. and probably still do!!  Its something about those intricate details, the tiny saucers and perfect proportioned rooms with accessories... 

Although fairly small, the museum houses hundreds of displays, and enough to make any doll collector froth at the mouth. Below is a photo of just one dolls house in one room. To call it a dolls house is extremely unfair, as its a whole apartment block set in the mid 1800s. I have photos of the back and front here. The detail is incredible. 

You can probably see from the above photos that there are dozens of rooms and events happening. Below is just one - the butcher shop.  It boggles my ind thinking about dressing those dolls, placing every piece in and ensuring that they all stay where they are supposed to.

So many dolls and rooms to pick from, but I've chosen two which I found most interesting.

Something I hadn't realised about Cupie Dolls was that they were made initially here in Germany. They were called Angel Eye Dolls, but that must have been too much of a mouthful and it was cut to Kewpie. They have overly huge eyes which look to one side. This one below is dated from 1910, possibly one of the first to be produced. 

Below are some propaganda dolls. I'm sure the British did very similar things in war time to bring the spirit of the nation up and promote nationalism.  Young girls under the Nazi regime were brought up to seek a domestic life where they produced good citizens and strong fighters. These dolls formed pat of the teachings.

Morgan was pretty apprehensive on coming to this museum, but was more than happy when he saw the train sets and lego. 

I'm sure Lilly and I could have wasted another few hours looking at the costumes and clothes, but we were mindful of wearing a young boys patience thin.

Hessisches Doll Museum

Brothers Grimm Museum in Steinau

The region in Germany where we are staying at the moment is where the Grimm Brothers roamed, collecting their fairytales and folk stories, which ultimately was published in their famous anthology. 

The family lived in Steinau and although the place they were born was destroyed in the wars, the house they then moved into still stands and now forms one of the museums in the area honouring this famous pair.  

The childhood home as well as the house's old barn, featuring a reconstruction of the family's old kitchen, and contains glassed displays of  personal possessions such as letters and reading glasses and furniture. 

The upper floor is a child's delight, being divided into rooms with interactive displays showcasing the various popular fairytales as well as displaying the pop culture influence the tales have had.

Although most of it was in German, there is an international language of mystery and myth, with the shared tales so ingrained in our lives.

As part of the ticket entrance fee, we also gained access into the town museum. It is across the cobbled courtyard and documents what life may have been like when the old trade route ran through Steinau.  It included exhibit showing an old coach, inn signs, milestones, and the type of pistols travellers used to defend themselves from bandits.