Museum Schloss Tenneberg

About the museum

Schloss Tenneberg sits enthroned on the Burgberg hill above Waltershausen. A castle has been documented here since 1176; it guarded the trade route on which salt was carried to Erfurt and served landgraves and dukes as an occasional residence, hunting lodge, and seat of administration and justice. Duke Johann Casimir had it rebuilt as a Renaissance palace, and under Friedrich II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg it was remodeled in Baroque style in the early 18th century. The banquet hall of 1719, with a ceiling painting by the court painter Johann Heinrich Ritter, and the palace chapel date from this period.

The municipal local history museum opened in the banquet hall on October 20, 1929. The doll department became its main draw: Waltershausen was a center of doll making for almost two centuries, ever since the merchant Johann Daniel Kestner Jr. began having doll heads made from papier-mâché instead of wood in 1816. In the early 20th century, more than 2,000 people worked in 13 doll and toy factories; in East German (GDR) times they were merged into the state-owned VEB Puppenfabrik "biggi", and in 1990 the industry largely collapsed.

Today run as Museum Schloss Tenneberg, the museum is operated by the town of Waltershausen. Alongside several doll exhibitions – from historic Waltershausen dolls to celluloid and plastic dolls from the GDR era – it presents town history, folklore, and a visible storage area. The palace itself has been restored step by step since the mid-1990s.

Highlights

• Waltershausen dolls from almost two centuries of the doll industry
• "Von Bruno bis biggi": dolls made of celluloid, PVC, and biggidur (c. 1900–2002)
• Thuringian dolls and dolls from around the world
• Baroque banquet hall of 1719 with a ceiling painting by Johann Heinrich Ritter
• Tenneberger Schaumagazin (visible storage)

Permanent exhibitions

• Waltershäuser Puppen – „Sie kehren zurück nach Haus“ – Dolls from Waltershausen's workshops and factories, complemented by Thuringian dolls and dolls from around the world.
• Von Bruno bis biggi – Waltershausen dolls from about 1900 to 2002, made of celluloid, PVC, and the plastic biggidur.
• Stadtgeschichte und Volkskunde – Sections on the history of Waltershausen and on the region's crafts, everyday life, and traditional costumes, plus the Tenneberger Schaumagazin (visible storage).

Founded

1929

Operated by

Stadt Waltershausen

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

According to the town of Waltershausen, there is a place to eat at the palace.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit