Behind enormous wooden box lids in a historic Augsburg building, strings pull at the heartstrings of millions who grew up watching Jim Knopf, Urmel, and other marionette stars on German television.

Welcome to the Augsburger Puppenkiste, where three generations of the Oehmichen family have transformed hand-carved wooden figures into national treasures.

Since 1948, this intimate theatre has been home to some of Germany's most cherished childhood memories. What began as a small family venture in a former hospital building has become a cultural institution, its television productions watched by millions and its characters recognized across generations.

From Ashes to Strings

Walter Oehmichen founded his first puppet theatre, the Puppenschrein, in 1943 with his wife Rose and daughters Hannelore and Ulla. When Allied bombs destroyed the stage in February 1944, only the puppets survived. Walter had taken them home after a performance, sparing them from the flames that consumed Augsburg's city theatre.

Exactly four years later, on February 26, 1948, the family reopened as the Augsburger Puppenkiste in a room at the former Heilig-Geist-Spital, sharing space with the city's Office of Statistics. Their first production was Puss in Boots, featuring a puppet carved secretly by 13-year-old Hannelore using her father's sharp woodcarving knife.

Stars on Strings

The theatre's permanent museum displays beloved characters like Jim Knopf from the 1961 television series based on Michael Ende's books, and Urmel from Max Kruse's stories about a prehistoric creature hatched from an egg. Hannelore Oehmichen-Marschall carved nearly every famous puppet until her death in 2003, creating what Germans affectionately call "stars on strings."

The collection spans fairy tale adaptations like Aladdin and Little Longnose to operatic productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute and The Abduction from the Seraglio. Rose Oehmichen sewed costumes for every marionette and voiced grandmother characters, while Walter himself performed as the pilot in The Little Prince in 1951.

The Box Lid Tradition

Every performance begins with the opening of two enormous wooden box lids, a trademark born from practical necessity. After the 1944 fire, Walter designed a portable theatre that fit inside a wooden transport chest. Those box tops became the theatre's signature, spanning 0.90 by 2 meters on stage.

The annual Kabarett show, premiering each New Year's Eve since 1950, brings satirical puppetry to adult audiences through June. The theatre also pioneered educational television, sending puppets on journeys through Bavaria for the children's program Ralphi, and even performed in pediatric clinics to comfort sick children. In 2004, the Puppenkiste won Germany's prestigious Deutscher Filmpreis.

Augsburg Puppet Chest Highlights & Tips

• The Puppet Museum Located on the first floor above the theatre, the museum displays famous marionettes including Jim Knopf, Urmel, and Kalle Wirsch. Special exhibitions rotate every four months, showcasing puppets from the theatre's collection and guest displays from other companies.
• The Iconic Box Lid Opening Watch the theatre's trademark wooden box lids open before each performance, a tradition dating back to Walter Oehmichen's portable puppet chest design after World War II.
• Jim Knopf and Friends See the original television characters that captivated German audiences in the 1960s and 70s, including the beloved locomotive driver Lukas and his friend Jim Button from Michael Ende's stories.
• Productions for All Ages The theatre offers both children's fairy tales and adult performances, including Mozart operas and the satirical New Year's Eve Kabarett show that runs through June.
• Historic Location The theatre is housed in the former Heilig-Geist-Spital in Augsburg's historic center at Spitalgasse, where a new theatre hall opened in 2000 directly opposite the original space.
• Best Time to Visit Check the website for performance schedules. The Kabarett season runs from New Year's Eve through June, while children's productions are staged year-round.

The Augsburger Puppenkiste remains what Walter Oehmichen envisioned in 1948: a family theatre where carved wood and colored fabric become living characters.

Today, Klaus Marschall continues his grandparents' legacy while his brother Jürgen carves new puppets using Hannelore's techniques. When those box lids open and Jim Knopf rolls onto the stage aboard his locomotive, three generations of German audiences remember why they first fell in love with these stars on strings.

Visit this living piece of German cultural history where craftsmanship, storytelling, and television fame converge in one intimate theatre.