Augsburg Marionette Theater (Puppenkiste)

In 1943, Walter Oehmichen, his wife Rose and their daughters Hannelore and Ulla built their own marionette theater, the “Puppenschrein” (puppet shrine). Although destroyed by bombs in WWII, Oehmichen was not to be discouraged and in 1948 opened a marionette theater in the former Holy Ghost Nursing Home. The “Augsburger Puppenkiste” opened with the fairytale “Puss in Boots”. TV broadcasts in the 60’s and 70’s made the Puppenkiste and its characters like Urmel, Jim Knopf and the cat Mikesch famous throughout Germany. Today, the two grandsons of the founder, Klaus and Jürgen Marschall, manage the Puppenkiste and continue to carve their own figures and write their own scripts. You can find the season program on the Puppenkiste’s web site. Adjacent to the theater is the marionette museum “Die Kiste” where one can get an up-close view of many of the popular figures.