Opening of the newly renovated puppet theater museum in Lübeck!

Opening of the newly renovated puppet theater museum in Lübeck!

The time has finally come: After seven years of intensive renovation, the Lübeck Puppet Theater Museum, known as KOLK 17, is opening its doors to the public again. From Sunday, June 28, 2025, visitors can explore the new exhibition “Figure Theater – Game of Life,” which focuses on the unique world of puppet theater. The museum's poignant redesign invites you to rediscover the diversity of this art form and offers a fascinating insight into the various forms of play, including marionettes, hand puppets and even animal figures from Mali and southern Chinese iron rod figures. As the South Germans reports, the project to revive these characters is being implemented in close collaboration with researchers and players from Mali and Germany.

Since its founding in 2001, the museum has developed into an important place for puppet theater history in Europe, Africa and Asia. It houses around 20,000 objects from all over the world and shows everything from shadow plays to dangling puppets. Now visitors can look forward to a newly designed presentation of these treasures, which promises a real experience not only for puppet theater enthusiasts, but also for those interested in culture. The museum is also supported by the Hanseatic City of Lübeck and the Cultural Foundation of the State of Schleswig-Holstein.

Cultural highlight in Lübeck

What is particularly pleasing is that entry will be free for children, young people, trainees and students. Adults only pay twelve euros, making the museum an attractive destination for families and educational groups. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, offering ample opportunity to visit and immerse yourself in the rich collections. One could say that the reopening is a real highlight of Lübeck's cultural scene and a further step towards the revitalization of puppet theater life in the region.

The entire renovation phase was used not only to renew the exhibition, but also to catalog and scientifically research the collection holdings in the depot. The KOLK 17 is more than just a museum - it is a living institution that is also active beyond that. During the renovation work, those interested were able to meet the employees in the TheaterFigurenMobil, which was specially designed by the Prague artist Michaela Bartonova and serves as an information point and shop. As the Lübeck city side The “Figurentheater Lübeck – on Tour” also organizes exciting events in other cultural institutions in the city, such as the European Hanseatic Museum, to promote the new presentation.

A look into the collections

A special feature of the museum is its impressive collection, which is more than just a collection of dolls - it represents the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This also includes several puppet theater traditions recognized by UNESCO. The exhibits include not only traditional hand puppets, but also unusual pieces such as the head of a Japanese Bunraku figure and “dog clowns”. The Wikipedia highlights that the collection of Fritz Fey Jr. who came from a family of puppeteers and collected over 25,000 exhibits.

Visitors can look forward to an interactive museum quiz that invites them to get to know the exciting world of puppet theater better. In addition to the exhibitions, the museum also has a café where you can fortify yourself after a tour.

The opening of the newly renovated puppet theater museum is good news for Lübeck and the region's cultural life. It remains to be hoped that this redesign will provide new impetus for the art of puppet theater and further ignite enthusiasm for this special form of theater.