Städtisches Museum Zirndorf
Museum in the Glockengießerhaus on Zirndorf's tin toy industry and the Battle of the Alte Veste in the Thirty Years' War.
About the museum
The Städtisches Museum Zirndorf is housed in the so-called Glockengießerhaus (bell founder's house), a half-timbered building in the old town. A dendrochronological study dates the timber used to the winter of 1639/40 – making the building one of the first houses built after the devastation of Zirndorf in the Thirty Years' War. The inn "Zum Hirschen" was once located here; the house owes its nickname to the bell founder Wolfgang Roth, who lived here in 1663 while casting a bell for the St.-Rochus-Kirche.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the property was extended and remodeled several times: in 1869 the town's first pharmacy moved in, followed later by a cardboard factory, a grocery store, and a radio shop. After the latter closed in 1989, the city acquired the house, reconstructed the original sequence of rooms during the renovation, and opened the museum in October 1995. The renovation was recognized as exemplary by the Bezirk Mittelfranken.
The permanent exhibition has two focal points: the first floor is about tin toy production, which began in Zirndorf in 1840 and made the town an export-strong industrial location – the roots of Playmobil also lie here. The second floor is devoted to the summer of 1632, when Wallenstein set up a huge field camp around Zirndorf and the battle with the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus took place at the Alte Veste. In the Dachsaal (attic hall), changing cultural history exhibitions are held.
Highlights
- Tin toys by Zirndorf manufacturers, from spinning tops to money boxes
- Early history of Geobra Brandstätter (Playmobil)
- Dioramas and models of Wallenstein's camp in 1632
- Half-timbered house from around 1640
- Erlebnisweg Wallensteins Lager (adventure trail) in the surrounding area
Permanent exhibitions
- Blechspielzeug made in Zirndorf – The first floor tells how Zirndorf became a center of tin toy manufacturing from 1840 with rattles, spinning tops, money boxes, and music boxes. Numerous products from local companies and a reconstructed workshop show the manufacturers' work and daily life.
- Zirndorf im Dreißigjährigen Krieg – On the second floor, dioramas, models, and contemporary accounts illustrate Wallenstein's field camp of 1632, the Battle of the Alte Veste, and the consequences for the population.
- Founded
- 1995
- Operated by
- Stadt Zirndorf
- Director
- Christine Lorber
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Students (school and university), people doing military or federal volunteer service, holders of the Bayerische Ehrenamtskarte, people with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more, groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Children and teenagers aged 6 to 17 |
| Seniors | –No senior discount |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3companion free · From a degree of disability of 50 with ID; companion free if the ID states that a companion is required. |
| Students & apprentices | €3With proof |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personPer person; students in a class group, after-school care, or daycare without a tour €1.50 per person. |
| Families | €13One or two adults with their children |
| Open museum or Wallenstein tour, admission included (April–October) | €12Children aged 6–17 €6, families €20, people with a degree of disability of 50 or more €8 |
| City tour or Wallenstein walk without museum visit | €8Children aged 6–17 €4, families €15 |
Booked group tours in the museum €75 plus reduced admission, combination tour of the museum and Alte Veste €120, tours outside the museum €75; on Sundays and public holidays and outside opening hours a €20 surcharge. School classes pay €30, or €50 with a walk to the Alte Veste.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum in the historic half-timbered house is not accessible. Seating is available, assistance dogs are allowed. For senior care facilities there is the "Museum im Koffer" (museum in a suitcase) program for people with dementia; group tours for people with disabilities cost €40.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €13 · One or two adults with their children |
- Family tours & workshops
- Playground / play area
- Kids’ birthday parties
Children's tours on old tin toys (spinning tops to try out) and on Wallenstein, partly with costumes and a riddle. Children's birthday parties for ages 6 to 11 (max. 10 children) from €75 plus €3 admission per child, registration two weeks in advance. There is a play corner in the museum.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Zirndorf Marktplatz
From Nuremberg by U3 to Gustav-Adolf-Straße, then bus 70 to Zirndorf Marktplatz; from Fürth Hauptbahnhof by regional train toward Cadolzburg to Zirndorf Bahnhof.
By car via the A3, A6, A9, or A73 toward Fürth/Zirndorf.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Lockers
Museum shop in the entrance area with tin and plastic toys, literature, and postcards; play, reading, and video corner. Bags, umbrellas, and jackets go in lockers in the entrance area.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography without flash and tripod for private purposes is allowed; with a tripod only after written registration. |
| Good to know | Tours of the museum, the town, and to the Alte Veste by registration at least 14 days in advance (tel. 0911 9606059-18); tours outside the museum from April to mid-October. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the exhibition rooms. |
