Lübeck Museum of Theatre Puppets

The Lübeck Museum of Theatre Puppets stands in the medieval heart of Lübeck, five linked brick houses along a narrow lane called Kolk. It sits below the brick Gothic tower of St Peter’s church and just behind the Holstentor gate. The city’s heritage body and private foundations sponsor the building and its contents. Other German puppet collections exist in Munich and Dresden, but none matches the breadth of this one. Fritz Fey Jr spent decades gathering puppets, posters, scenery and costumes from three centuries and three continents. His collection shows how puppeteers everywhere hold a mirror to society. Visitors find glove puppets, marionettes, rod and finger puppets, shadow figures, ventriloquist dummies and mechanical automata. The Wayang shadow puppets from Indonesia share space with the comic ‘Dog Clown’ and the clever ‘metamorphoses’ figure. Beyond the figures, the museum displays full puppet stages, costumes and props. A short documentary plays in a video room, and a quiz lets visitors test what they have seen. The shop sells puppets and prints of old ballads, while the café offers coffee among marionette decorations.