Special exhibitions

Puppets and dolls ("Puppe" in German) figure in our lives in a myriad of ways be it in children’s bedrooms, fairgrounds or on the stage and indeed enjoy an enduring appeal. They intrigue us both as figurative replicas of human beings and as embodiments of our innermost wishes, fears, and desires. They hold up a mirror to society and all its role models past and present. The Münchner Stadtmuseum Puppet Theater/Fairground Attraction Collection, with its abundance of puppets, is one of the largest such collections worldwide. Alongside hand and rod puppets, marionettes, and shadow puppets, it includes curiosities such as the Theatrum Mundi, as well as bequests of entire puppet show booths with all their decor. In the 1980s, the collection widened its scope to include variety entertainment, circuses, and curiosity shows, focusing specifically on fairground attractions.

Brutalism and the expressive use of exposed concrete were the defining feature of the architecture of 1950-1970s Israel, as of many other countries. Today, these structures are largely met with criticism and even contempt. Consequently, many have now been earmarked for destruction. Israeli photographer and media artist Eli Singalovski has set out to capture the raw beauty and rich form of buildings such as those of Be'er Sheva, a city twinned with Munich, and of other towns and cities not only in Israel but across the entire world.

“Here Comes the Night”, an exploration of Munich’s cultural history, takes a nocturnal journey through the city and its club culture from the post-war period to the present day. It explores urban planning and economic issues and focuses on the clubbing hotspots and leading lights of Munich’s after-hours scene and nightlife both then and now. With the Atomic Café, in a sense a fata morgana, a treat to be rediscovered in all its glory at Münchner Stadtmuseum, and a host of memorabilia from venues like Ultraworld, Ultraschall, Flughafen Riem, Kunstpark Ost, Registratur – to name just a few – the exhibition offers an experience akin to a modern-day pilgrimage.