Museum of Puppetry and Toys

The Puppet Theatre Exhibition offers visitors an insight into the history, development, and present of this artistic field. Traditional traveling puppetry is represented by marionettes from prominent puppetry families, such as the Stražan and Dubský families. The collection also includes an original mobile traveling stage – a caravan, which is installed in the castle courtyard. Additionally, traditional folk theatre from the third branch of the Dubský family from Košice is presented in the form of an original stage with painted ceiling panels by academic painter Boško from Prague, as well as a set of classical wooden marionettes by several carvers (from the second half of the 19th century). Original theatrical decorations by significant Czech artists (such as Štapfer, Christán, Engelmüller, etc.) and marionettes designed by M. Aleš from the Münzberg and Storch company complement the display of family and community puppet theatres in the first half of the 20th century. Community puppet theatres are also represented by the works of Prof. M. Fikár and marionettes from the puppet ensemble Radosť.

Another group of exhibits consists of artifacts from professional Slovak puppet theatres – Puppet Theatre Žilina, Bratislava Puppet Theatre, Karol Spišák's Old Theatre in Nitra, Puppet Theatre Košice, and Puppet Theatre at the Crossroads in Banská Bystrica. Each theatre presents an overview of its creations from its founding after 1950 to the present. The exhibition also showcases the work of prominent artists involved in these professional puppet theatres. A charming piece is the Baroque opera Orpheus (1994) from the private Teatro Neline in Budmerice and a scene from the production Rabbi Löw and the Golem (performed by O. Berstengel’s theatre from Dresden). A surprise for visitors is the presentation of luminescent puppet theatre, which has been a part of Slovak theatre since 1960.

In addition to puppet theatre, the exhibition also features puppet-animated films, represented by puppets from the fairy tales of V. Pikalík, the film Nazdravíčko!, and the fairy tale The Golden Maiden from the Golden Egg. Television productions are also represented by well-known characters from children's TV shows, such as Drobček (MaTelKo), Kuko (From Kuko to Kuko), and Raťafák Plachta (Slniečko).