Basel Toy Worlds Museum

The Museum of Toy Worlds

The Basel audio-guided tour presents you with the Museum of Toy Worlds, installed in a nineteenth-century house, considered the largest toy museum in Europe in its category.

The collection of Gigi Oeri

The museum opened in 1998 thanks to Gigi Oeri, a great Basel collector who gathered over the years teddy bears, dolls, miniature houses and objects linked to childhood. Rather than keeping them in a private setting, she chose to make a museum open to the public. The most impressive collection is that of the teddy bears, which numbers more than two thousand five hundred, making it the largest in the world. Some models go back to the beginning of the twentieth century.

What there is to see

Spread over several floors, more than six thousand pieces are presented: old teddy bears, dolls, large richly detailed dolls' houses and miniature shops recreating with precision interiors and businesses of the past. Even before entering, the exterior windows, regularly renewed, attract attention. It is a visit full of charm and nostalgia, which will delight young and old.

Practical information

The Museum of Toy Worlds is in the centre of Basel, in a nineteenth-century house. It can generally be visited all year round according to hours that may vary depending on the season. It is advisable to check the conditions of access and the prices before the visit.

Why is the Museum of Toy Worlds remarkable?

It is the largest toy museum in Europe in its category, with more than six thousand pieces and the largest collection of teddy bears in the world.

Thanks to whom did the museum come into being?

Thanks to Gigi Oeri, a Basel collector who opened the museum in 1998 from her collection gathered over the years.