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Historic Toy Museum, Freinsheim facts for kids

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Bing Museum Freinsheim
A cool Bing pedal car, just like the ones you might see at the museum!

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Bing-Museum King Edward Spur II
A Bing 'King Edward' train model that uses real steam!
Bing-Museum Flugboot
A neat Bing flying boat toy.
Bing-Museum Ozeanliner
A detailed Bing ocean liner toy.

The Historic Toy Museum in Freinsheim, Germany, is a special place. It's a private collection of amazing old toys. Imagine stepping back in time to see toys from over 100 years ago!

Discovering Old Toys

This museum shows off toys from a long time ago. They were made between about 1890 and the Second World War. This was a time when factories started making many new things. Most of the toys here were made by a famous company called Bing. Bing was located in Nuremberg, Germany.

How the Museum Started

The person who looks after the museum is Marion Groll. But the whole idea began with Uwe Groll's toy collection. He started gathering these toys many years ago. The private museum first opened its doors on April 2, 2011.

Uwe Groll first loved collecting model trains. He especially looked for trains from the Bing company. These were often "0 Gauge" trains, a specific size for model railways. As he collected more, he learned so much about Bing. He became fascinated by all the different toys they made. Soon, his collection grew to include many other types of toys.

What You Can See

The museum has about 1,000 different toys on display. All of them were made before 1932. Most of these toys are still in their original condition. It's like they've been kept in a time capsule!

Here are some of the cool things you can find:

  • Model railways: See trains that ran on steam, clockwork (wind-up), or even electricity! You can also see tiny railway stations.
  • Steam engines: These are small working models that use steam power.
  • Motorized models: Discover miniature cars, boats, and even planes.
  • Cute companions: Find old bears, dolls, and other soft toys.
  • Tiny homes: Explore doll's houses and doll's kitchens. They even have tiny accessories for them!
  • Games: Play old board games, party games, and see old playing cards.
  • Entertainment: Check out early movie projectors called Cinematographs. There are also children's gramophones and a special Bingola player.
  • Reading materials: Look at old children’s books, brochures, and toy catalogs.
  • Learning toys: See toys that helped kids learn about science and technology.
  • Miniature household items: Find tiny typewriters, cameras, and irons.
  • Real household items: See old enamel, copper, and Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) items.
  • Kitchen appliances: Discover old toy refrigerators and ovens.
  • Tiny figures: Look at model soldiers and small table lamps.

The Museum Building

The museum is located in a building called "Haus an der Bach." This means "House by the Stream." The building itself is very old, dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been carefully fixed up to keep its historic look. It's now a "listed building," which means it's protected because of its history.

The museum building is right across from the "Four-Pipe Well." This well used to be a special measuring well for wine barrels. The museum building has three floors. It offers about 300 square meters (that's about 3,200 square feet) of space. This area is used for all the amazing toy exhibits and a cozy museum café.

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Historic Toy Museum, Freinsheim Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.