Museum of Saxon Folk Art and Puppet Theatre Collection, Dresden State Art Collection

In the atmospheric setting of the 400-year-old Jaegerhof you can admire both Saxon folk art and one of the largest puppet theatre collections in the world. The tour around the museum provides a wide-ranging insight into the fascinating world of folk art and presents an abundance of old traditions as well as more recent and contemporary works that straddle the boundary between everyday life and art: enchanting carved objects from the Ore Mountains and embroidered woven textiles from Lusatia, lavish Sorb costumes and intricate lace from the Vogtland region, painted furniture, richly decorated ceramics and an unusually diverse collection of historic toys. Whatever their age, anyone who would like to explore the rich heritage of Saxon folk art, will find a unique exhibition here. The Puppentheatersammlung (Puppet Theatre Collection) on the upper floor is one of the largest and most important collections of its kind in the world. Here you can immerse yourself in the poetic, dramatic, magical and comic world of historic puppet theatre. The collection’s holdings range from 200-year-old marionettes and fairground hand puppets to Bauhaus theatre figures and items from contemporary puppet theatre. Among the most valuable exhibits are figures and theatre sets from several 19th-century mechanical world theatres. No other European museum has objects of this quality and diversity. Museum für Sächsische Volkskunst mit Puppentheatersammlung (Museum of Saxon Folk Art and Puppet Theatre Collection) is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) that are among the most prominent museums in the world. The combined holdings of the twelve museums offer the visitor a remarkable thematic diversity. These museums originated from the collections of the Saxon electors and Polish kings. They systematically developed cabinets of curiosities, which were accessible to select circles in their day and still form the core of the wonderful art treasures of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden today. The collections are situated in world famous buildings such as the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace), the Zwinger, and the Semperbau (Semper Building), which are among the most important sights in Dresden.