What do children of all ages love most in the world? Toys, of course! So if you are in Salzburg with your child, be sure to visit the local Toy Museum, which is housed in an old hospital building. Once inside the museum, your little one will feel right at home.
There is plenty of fun and adventure for young visitors. To start with, slip into a pair of comfortable, colourful slippers that are kindly offered to you at the cloakroom, and off you go into the magical world of toys!
There are several interesting exhibitions on the ground floor: "Balancing", "Balls" and "Miracles". In each room, a child can not only look at the exhibits, but also touch, roll, shake, move and leave. "Play, experience and wonder are the three main themes of the Salzburg Toy Museum, to which all the exhibits are subordinated.
All children who have visited the Toy Museum will remember the Percussion House with pleasure. The noise that can be made here would drive any adult crazy, but not a child. Big and small bells, whistling on a special bottle organ, beating drums and creating a cacophony of sounds are played by young and old alike. Parents cover their ears and the children have a great time!
The museum and the opportunity to go down the slide from the second floor to the ground floor will not leave any young visitor indifferent. This large, safe slide is always full of enthusiastic children. If you need a break, go up to the first floor and watch a short film in the children's cinema. You can also take the whole family to the railway exhibition, where you can try your hand at being a railway engineer on a 12-metre model railway. Since 2015, the museum has had a children's library with lots of fascinating books.
Of course, what would a museum be without the antique toys that our grandparents used to play with? In a separate room, behind glass in the museum showcases, there are many interesting things on display at children's eye level. There's a 19th century fire engine, for example, or an antique merry-go-round. The large, fully-equipped doll's houses will fascinate the youngest visitors to the history exhibition, while the boys will be very interested in the cars, railways and soldiers of the past. See how horses, teddy bears and dolls have evolved over the centuries!
It is important to note that the Salzburg Museum's toy collection is recognised as the largest in the country. The exhibits are made of various materials: papier-mâché, wood, tin, plastic, paper, fabric and plush. Everyone enjoys a visit to the Toy Museum: adults and children alike. Mothers and fathers walking through the museum with their children get nostalgic and are surprised to see the very toys they played with in their barefoot childhood. A three-minute walk from the museum is the House of Nature, which is also a must for children.
