2000 exhibits from the Coburg Doll Museum: After the closure at the end of last year, they now need a new home. © Nicolas Armer/dpa
At the end of 2022, the Coburg Doll Museum closed, the planned new carrier jumped off. Now the city of Coburg is looking for a new solution.
Coburg – The closure of the Coburg Doll Museum at the end of 2022 made 2000 historical dolls homeless in one fell swoop. Actually, a private foundation should have taken over the collection. But nothing will come of it. Now the search for a new home for the precious pieces is underway.
Coburg Doll Museum closes - 2000 dolls have to move
Actually, the private foundation from Rödental near Coburg had announced that it wanted to exhibit all the dolls - but the offer was surprisingly withdrawn, reports Louay Yassin, press spokesman for the city of Coburg: "Plan A has been smashed, now we have to find a plan B."
Until a new exhibition venue is found, the dolls will remain in the former museum building in Coburg's old town, Yassin said. In the search for a new place to stay, the city is now consulting museum educators and other experts – they want to take their time with the decision, according to the city.
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Small rooms, low visitor numbers – renovation no longer economical
One reason why the museum had to close was the lack of accessibility – a corresponding conversion of the centuries-old house in Coburg's Rückertstraße failed due to monument protection. In addition, the number of visitors had recently declined significantly.
The house was not very suitable for school classes, which made up a large proportion of the visitors, says Louay Yassin: "It consists of lots of small rooms. There was no room where an entire class could gather." Several thousand exhibits such as dolls, dollhouses and accessories were housed in more than 30 rooms on two floors.
The dolls are still here: the entrance to the former doll museum in Coburg. © IMAGO / Lindenthaler
Foundation jumped ship before takeover – "Would have been a good fit"
In November 2022, the Coburg City Council decided to close the museum on Rückertstraße. At that time, the city was already in promising negotiations with the Horst Ludwig Weingarth Foundation from Rödental. They are sad that it didn't work out, Yassin explains: "The location would have been a very good fit. Rödental is a doll town, Coburg is not."
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When asked, Horst Ludwig Weingarth, chairman of the foundation's board, explained that the foundation had hoped to receive funding for the planned Franconian-Thuringian Cultural Forum, which was also to include the Doll Museum. Unfortunately, these funds have not been approved. As a result, the project was forced to be cancelled, even though the foundation would have been willing to bear half of the costs incurred. Nevertheless, they are in good contact with the city of Coburg and continue to work closely together in the cultural field.
Historical doll collection: Couple started precious collection
The historical exhibits in the Coburg Doll Museum date from around 1800 to 1960. Most of them were produced in Franconia or Thuringia. Among other things, the museum offers insights into how the bourgeoisie used toys to educate children.
In July 1987, the married couple Carin and Hans Lossnitzer opened the Coburg Doll Museum, initially as a private museum. In doing so, they gave the public access to their private doll collection. Until then, the Lossnitzers lived in Ettlingen near Karlsruhe. Since two-thirds of the collected dolls came from the region of North Franconia-South Thuringia, they decided to open the museum in Coburg. From 2007, the Doll Museum was in municipal hands.
A slightly different doll divided the minds in April: The manufacturer Mattel brought a "Barbie" doll with Down syndrome on the market - as a symbol of more inclusivity. (mlh/dpa)
