MUKS – Museum Kultur & Spiel

MUKS, the Museum Kultur & Spiel, is the museum of culture and play in Riehen, a lively family museum that grew out of the town’s long-established toy collections. Riehen, just northeast of Basel on the German border, has had a toy museum for decades, and MUKS is its modern successor, with a wider theme: the cultural history of play, and the ways in which toys reflect the technology, tastes and family life of their time. It stands in the historic centre of the village, in old buildings that have been adapted to house the collections, with a courtyard that gives the museum a relaxed, village feel.

The collections are drawn mainly from European toys of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including pieces from German, Swiss and French makers, many of them from private collectors who gave or lent them to the museum. They are arranged in themes. One section looks at technology in the nursery, with tin cars, steam engines, model railways and mechanical toys that mirror the industrial revolution. Another shows wooden toys, from carved animals and building blocks to farm sets and Noah’s arks. A third is devoted to the world of dolls, with dolls’ houses, miniature kitchens, shops and furniture that show how children played at being adults, as well as dolls of porcelain, cloth and papier-mâché. Well-known brands appear, among them Steiff with its teddy bears and soft toys, Märklin with its trains and metal construction sets and the German firm Carlit, and magic lanterns and optical toys show the early history of the moving image.

For children, the museum is a place to look, touch and play, with activities and corners designed for hands-on exploration, while adults often find the exhibits nostalgic. The temporary exhibitions change regularly and look at themes such as board games, travelling, the history of particular toys or the influence of design. A shop sells toys and gifts, and a courtyard café with seating under a lime tree is a pleasant spot for a break. Children up to sixteen enter free, and there are arrangements for free or reduced admission with certain museum passes, so check the current terms and opening days.

The museum is partly accessible for wheelchairs, with some historic parts less so. It fits into a day in Riehen alongside the Fondation Beyeler, the Wenkenhof gardens and the village paths, and the tram from Basel brings visitors to the centre. On a rainy day it is an ideal choice.

MUKS suits families with children of all ages, collectors and anyone interested in design and childhood history. Allow around two hours.