Special exhibition
Bing Gesellschaftsspiele – Fast in jeder Familie zuhause
Historic board and parlor games from the Bing publishing house with elaborately designed box-lid illustrations; no end date is given.
Historisches Spielzeugmuseum Freinsheim
Private museum in Freinsheim's old town with more than 2,000 historic toys and household goods made by the Bing works of Nuremberg, plus an ice cream café.
Opening hoursAdmission from €6.50 Partially accessible Café
Current exhibitions
From May 1, 2025
Kruse gegen Bing – 100 Jahre Kunstschutz für Spielzeug
Exhibition on the legal dispute over the Käthe Kruse doll, developed together with the Käthe-Kruse-Puppen-Museum Donauwörth; no end date is given.
About the museum
The Historisches Spielzeugmuseum (Historic Toy Museum) in Freinsheim, also known as the Bing Museum, grew out of Uwe Groll's private collection. It began in 1996 with the purchase of a small wind-up train at a flea market and over the years grew into an extensive collection of products from the Nuremberg firm Gebrüder Bing, which was considered the largest toy factory in the world before World War I and stopped making toys in 1932.
The museum opened on April 2, 2011, in a renovated, listed old-town house with medieval roots on the southern town wall. It is run by Marion Groll, who, as a children's educator, has built up a lively museum with an integrated café.
Across some 300 square meters on three levels, seven exhibition areas display trains, steam engines, cars, ships, teddy bears, dolls, dollhouses, board games, cinematographs, teaching aids, and household goods – all from before 1933. A new physics room is devoted to technical educational toys.
The museum also sees itself as a place of remembrance for the Jewish-owned company Bing and addresses industrialization, international trade, the Great Depression, and the forcing out of Jewish entrepreneurs. Special exhibitions and the International Bing Collectors' Meeting take place regularly.
Highlights
- Tinplate trains, steam engines, and drive models by Bing
- Teddy bears, dolls, and dollhouses from before 1933
- Physics room with historic educational toys, up to a children's X-ray machine
- Cinematographs and children's gramophones
- Ice cream café "Laterna Magica" with the sandstone "Bing-Höhle" (Bing Cave)
Permanent exhibitions
- Die Welt der Bing-Werke – Seven exhibition areas on three levels with toys, teaching aids, and household goods made by the Nuremberg firm Bing before 1933.
- Founded
- 2011
- Operated by
- SPIELZEUGHAUS Freinsheim GbR (privat)
- Director
- Marion Groll
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6.50 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Children age 6 and over €3; children from Freinsheim free |
Free admission with the PfalzCard.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Accessible restroom available. The museum entrance has three steps; the second exhibition level has no elevator or stair lift.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Kids’ birthday parties
Photo puzzle scavenger hunt through the old town for children up to age 14; children's birthday parties by arrangement.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Freinsheim station (about 850 m; regional trains toward Neustadt, Grünstadt, and Frankenthal)
By car
Free parking
No parking of its own; free (limited) parking in the town center and outside the town wall, also for buses. On Sundays the old town is traffic-calmed.
Buses: clearance heights in the area are sometimes only 3.50–3.80 m.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Ice cream café "Laterna Magica" with outdoor seating at An der Bach (closed in winter); book and ticket shop online.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Up to 36 guests.
Parties, corporate events, and children's birthday parties with a guided tour and catering; up to 36 guests indoors and up to 50 outdoors; also outside opening hours.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours by individual appointment; cooperation with school classes and project days possible. The 14th International Bing Collectors' Meeting takes place on October 31/November 1, 2026, in the TSV hall and in the museum. |
