Paper Theatre Museum established in the Philippsruhe Castle in Hanau, Hessen (Germany), opened in January 1990. It consists of the collection of Helmut Wurz who, along with Dietger Dröse, is director of the museum.

The museum offers a historical look at the European paper theatre (also called toy theatre) of the 19th century. It is a vibrant place that hosts temporary exhibitions and shows. The permanent exhibition presents a representative selection of almost twenty different theatre stages and one hundred sheets of characters and scenes. The jewel of the collection is the theatre of the painter and industrialist family Engelhard-Rumpf dating from 1858. The repertoire consists of performances of the Tannhäuser-Parodie based on Nestroy-Binder, the opera Das Nusch-Nuschi by Paul Hindemith, as well as paper/toy theatre productions for children. Temporary exhibitions have been devoted, among others, to the collector Walter Röhler, the leaflets (“Mandl-Bogen”) produced by the Viennese company M. Trentsensky, and the theme “Gärten, Park und Landschaft im Paperiertheater” (Gardens, Parks and Landscapes in the Paper Theatre).

(See Germany.)