The Toy Museum

Den Gamle By - Toy Museum - stream engine — A steam engine from the German company Märklin, dated from between 1930-1935. Length 30 centimetre.

Large collection of old toys

The Toy Museum exhibits about 5000 toys, where as there are all together roughly 25000 individual toy objects throughout Den Gamle By. At the Toy Museum most of the toys on display are from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, and the oldest pieces date back to the 1600s.

Walk down memory lane in the two-story warehouse from the 1700s, and enjoy the exhibitions displaying dolls, doll houses, stream engines, mechanical toys, tin soldiers, optical toys and more. There are home-made and mass-produced toys and playthings for girls and boys in equal measure.

Difference between toys for boys and girls

Childrens toys played an important role in the upbringing, mainly with focus on becoming an adult. From the late 1700s toys for the boys were meant to help raise boys to become outgoing citizens, and for girls it was to introduce them to a future as housewives, with fine porcelain, dolls and dollhouses.

The Toy Museum has collected toys for many years to show the role that childrens toys has played throughout Danish history. Analyses of the museum's collection show that they promptly reflect the changes taking place.

Den Gamle By - collection with toys for girls at the Toy Museum — Toys for girls was meant to introduce them to a future as housewives, with dolls, dollshouses and fine porcelain.

Den Gamle By - tin soldiers at the Toy Museum — Toys for boys could be tin soldiers like these from the German company Lineol from between 1920-1935.

Tin and mechanical toys

Tin and mechanical toys were produced in large amounts in Germany and came to Denmark from the mid-1800s. The Toy Museum exhibits tin cars from the German toy company Märklin and mechanical toys from German Lehmann and the Danish company Tekno.

On the second floor at the end of the exhibition, you can rest your feet and enjoy a cartoon or black and white movie from old times, showing how optical toys and television was starting to take place in the mid-1900s.

Den Gamle By - Toy Museum exhibitions — At the Toy Museum you will find exhibitions of selected toys and playthings from different time periods.

Den Gamle By - well-preserved trainstation at the Toy Museum — One of the more well-preserved train stations, that was mainly seen in homes of the upper-class.

Den Gamle By - mechanical and musical toys at the Toy Museum — Mechanical toys were a sure hit. The Toy Museum has playthings from the 1600s and up to the mid-1900s.

Den Gamle By - dollhouse at the Toy Museum — Girls generally took better care of their playthings. Here it's a doll house with all the inventory from 1855