Veronica Stivala spends a day visiting Europe’s most successful puppet museum and the world’s oldest social housing estate still in use in the city of Augsburg.

The puppets

I have always been fascinated by puppets. Looking back, I would say this is partially due to The Lonely Goatherd scene in The Sound of Music that I originally watched as a child.

I still remember those sprightly goats, puffy-cheeked brass players and nimble herders dancing, drinking and singing as Maria and the Von Trapp children manipulated them from above.

Another reason is the papier-mâché and cloth hand puppets I made in my childhood then used to put on a show for the family.

While nostalgia played a strong part in the reason for my recent visit to the Augsburger Puppenkiste in Augsburg, I must admit that what ultimately pulled me there was research for a puppet theatre project I am working on.

I am so glad I went and got much more out of it than a simple research trip and highly recommend this quaint museum to anyone who is interested in puppetry, storytelling or who has children.

A visit to the theatre in Augsburg, but also to the pretty town itself, makes for a lovely day out for anyone staying in south Germany.

Augsburg is found in the southwest of Bavaria and is easily accessible, taking some 45 minutes by train from Munich.

The theatre’s name goes back to a World War II bombing: the founder wanted to create a new theatre that was easily transportable

Located in the historic centre of Augsburg, at the former Heilig-Geist-Spital building, an institution to care for old and sick people, the theatre has been producing adaptations of fairytales and serious pieces since 1948.

It began producing television series in 1953, with many becoming popular throughout the whole of Germany.

The theatre was a family affair, set up by Walter Oehmichen and his wife Rose in 1943. The original building was destroyed in 1944 after a bombing but luckily the puppets survived as Walter had taken them home with him following a performance.

In fact, the name of the theatre (kiste means box) goes back to this very incident: following the disaster, Walter wanted to create a new theatre that was easily transportable.

He came up with the idea of a wooden transport box, in which he stored all of his puppets and the actual puppet theatre.

Although the museum is in both English and German, theatre shows for children and adults are in German, so I had to give them a miss.

The museum was set up in 2001 and has attracted more than 725,000 visitors, making it the most successful of its kind in Europe.

There I met some of Walter’s creations including Urmel, the baby dinosaur, frozen since prehistoric times; wooden marionettes of Jim Button and Luke the Engine driver; the little King Kalle Wirsch with his furry red hair and Puss in Boots.

These stringed stars and their friends all looked happily at home on display in various scenes, some caught in mid-adventure, others napping or in the middle of selling their ‘freshly baked’ goods.

I loved the little theatre where you could sit down and watch a show featuring these puppets.

Great for children, and childlike adults, were the dress-up clothes available to try on. Because they were mostly long clothes, you could drape them into any way you pleased and create a character of your own imagination and creativity.

Changing special exhibitions and workshops complete the programme.

A tour of the Puppenkiste takes between one-and-a-half to two hours – more if you decide to see a show – but still leaves you ample time to wander around the beautiful city and discover the Fuggerei.

Augsberg and the Fuggerei

The Fuggerei is the world’s oldest social housing complex still in use. It takes its name from Jakob Fugger the Younger, also known as the Rich, who set it up as a goodwill gesture to society.

The conditions to live there remain the same as they were 480 years ago: you have to have lived at least two years in Augsburg, be Catholic and have become indigent without debt. The five gates are still locked every day at 10pm.

The rent was, and still is, one Rheinischer Gulden, equivalent to less than a euro today, and one quarter the entrance fee for visitors, as well as three daily prayers for the current Fuggerei owners.

The rent was, and still is, one Rheinischer Gulden, equivalent to less than a euro today, as well as three daily prayers for the current Fuggerei owners

The area is impeccably kept and it is very pleasant to walk around the narrow streets, admiring the red-roofed mustard houses with green apertures and neatly trimmed plants and creepers adorning them.

It is possible to discover more about the complex as you read the plaques and explore a little museum, a sample Fuggerei home, a fountain which was originally the source of water for all the families, as well as a pleasant cafe (that day serving a divine cheesecake from ‘Grandmother’s recipe’) and an impressive air-raid shelter.

The latter features a wealth of memorabilia and information documenting the horrible bombings that the Fuggerei experienced during World War II.

After our visit to the Fuggerei, we still had time for a quick visit into the city centre.

I enjoyed sitting in the square and looking at the magnificent architecture before me, such as the majestic town hall with its massive white façade and little aquamarine domes.

The square had a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. We were there on a warm Sunday afternoon and young people sat on the ground and around the central fountain, chatting and happily lapping up the sun.

Others sat sipping coffee and nibbling on slice of cake at cafe tables.

To end, I’ll leave you with a random interesting fact about Augsburg: it is the only German city with its own legal holiday, the Augsburger Hohes Friedensfest, celebrated on August 8 every year.