Top 10 Specialty Museums in Franconia, Bavaria

Sie wollten schon immer wissen, was „Helau“ und „Alaaf“ eigentlich bedeuten? Was es mit der Bütt auf sich hat? Oder warum sich alles im Karneval um die Elf dreht? Dann sind Sie im Deutschen Fastnachtmuseum genau richtig. Denn hier können Sie allen Fragen rund um Fasching, Fastnacht und Karneval spielerisch auf den Grund gehen. Zahlreiche Mitmach-Stationen und weitläufige Ausstellungsräume versprechen einen kurzweiligen Museumsbesuch. Auch Kinder kommen nicht zu kurz – sie können sich entweder selbst verkleiden oder mit einem Quiz das Museum kennenlernen. Das Museum ist daher ein ideales Ausflugsziel für Familien. In einem „virtuellen Narrentheater“, einer Multi-Media-Show, erzählen Figuren aus verschiedenen Karnevals- und Fastnachtsregionen ihre Geschichte. Das Fastnachtmuseum ist nicht nur das einzige seiner Art, es ist, nachdem es im November 2013 eröffnet wurde, auch eines der modernsten in ganz Deutschland.

Nuremberg has been a city of toys since the Middle Ages. With an abundance of extraordinary exhibits from antiquity to the present, Nuremberg's world famous Toy Museum presents the "world in miniature" in 1,400 square meters of space, featuring dolls, shops, tin figures and tin toys, wooden toys and a large model train set (Track S), as well as more recent toys, such as Lego, Barbie, Playmobil, and Matchbox. The imaginatively designed children's area in the attic is staffed with trained educational personnel. Summer attractions include a large outdoor playground and a museum cafe in the secluded inner courtyard. There are audio guides tailored for adults and children to escort you through the museum, and also a droll photographic treasure hunt.

Having opened its doors in 1882, the DB Museum is now the world's oldest museum devoted to the railways. Its main building is located in Nuremberg, and it also has two other branches - one in Koblenz and the other in Halle an der Saale. Property of the Deutsche Bahn Foundation, the Nuremberg building may be old, but it is nothing if not modern, as its collections and exhibitions have been completely overhauled in recent years. The heart of the Nuremberg exhibition is a panoramic sweep of rail history in Germany from its humble beginnings around 1800 up to the present day, and even taking a look at what the future may have in store. Covering a total space of 6,800 m², it takes a different approach to most railway museums in that the history of train technology is just one aspect among many others. All of them are woven together to tell a much larger story. Scores of objects, from original locomotives to old advertising signs, are given their own interactive settings and vividly bring this tale to life. The original vehicles at the museum are another major draw for visitors. Some 40 rail legends are on show in two halls. They include the oldest surviving passenger coach in Germany, a replica of the country's first steam locomotive, the Adler, and a model of the ICE 4, the next generation of high-speed train. The museum's external exhibition space covers some 15,000 m² and includes a vintage train platform, interactive signal box and a display depot containing train-related treasures from the museum's various collections. Younger visitors can look forward to KIBALA, a railway paradise created specially for children to experiment and play with. It's got lots of buttons that need pressing, a train simulator and a miniature railway that shunts our little visitors around the entire exhibition grounds. The museum hosts different special exhibitions dedicated to specific topics, and its programme of events also includes a wide range of concerts, talks and celebrations that ensure there's never a dull moment at Lessingstrasse 6.