Spielzeugmuseum
Private toy museum in the Old Town Hall tower on Marienplatz, with dolls, tin toys, trains and teddy bears from four centuries.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Prague caricaturist, illustrator and film director Ivan Steiger (1939–2025) had lived in Germany since 1969 and, after 1980, began collecting children's toys with the help of his family. In 1983 he opened a toy museum in the tower of the Old Town Hall on Marienplatz in Munich. His growing collection soon became one of the largest private toy collections in Europe; since 1994 it was also shown in a second house at Prague Castle, which was closed in 2025.
The museum displays European and American toys from antiquity to the present on four floors of the tower. The exhibition rooms are reached by an elevator, while the ticket office is reached by a spiral staircase. On display are dolls and their development, wooden and tin toys, trains, steam engines, teddy bears, Barbie dolls and robots.
Special features include mechanical tin toys and steam engines from 1835 to 1935, a surviving Russian carousel in Art Deco style from around 1920, the entrance gate of Circus Hagenbeck from around 1930, and a modern doll with a wardrobe from 1959. The family business is continued by Steiger's daughters.
Highlights
- Steiger Collection: toys from four centuries
- Mechanical tin toys and steam engines, 1835–1935
- Russian carousel in Art Deco style, around 1920
- Entrance gate of Circus Hagenbeck, around 1930
- Dolls, teddy bears, trains and Barbie collection
Permanent exhibition
- Spielzeug aus vier Jahrhunderten – Sammlung Familie Steiger – Dolls, wooden and tin toys, trains, steam engines, teddy bears, Barbie and robots across four floors of the Old Town Hall tower.
- Founded
- 1983
- Operated by
- Familie Steiger
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €3Children and young people up to 17 years old |
| Families | €16Family ticket for 2 adults and 3 children up to 17 years old |
No credit card payments.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- 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
The four exhibition floors are reached by an elevator; the ticket office is only accessible via a spiral staircase.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Family ticket | €16 · Family ticket for 2 adults and 3 children up to 17 years old |
|---|
The museum promotes itself as a popular destination for families; it offers a family ticket and reduced admission for children up to 17 years old.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Marienplatz
Subway and S-Bahn station "Marienplatz", exit toward "Tal".
The museum is right on Marienplatz in the Old Town Hall tower; entrance under the Spielmobile.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Nostalgic museum shop in the ticket office, with the toy catalog, other catalogs, replica children's books, postcards, toys and souvenirs.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, IT) |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Free audio guide as the smartphone app "Hearonymus" (keyword "Steiger"), downloadable in advance. Entrance in the Old Town Hall tower under the Spielmobile. |
