The Game Museums of Europe – A Quick Tour
by Bruce Whitehill
1997
Well, it’s a tough job, but somebody had to do it. After noticing that so many of the great-playing games originated in Europe, it seemed prudent to go over there and check things out first hand. I flew to The Netherlands and, accompanied by my trusted guide, European puzzles historian Geert Bekkering, set out for destinations in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France.
We started with visits to wonderful museums, including two with nothing but games and puzzles: the Deutsches SPIELEmuseum (German Game Museum) in Chemnitz, the former Eastern Germany (Director Peter Lemcke had the press waiting for us, and we made front page news), and the Musée Suisse du Jeu (Swiss Museum of Games), housed in the Chateau de La-Tour-de-Peilz, a wonderful castle on a gorgeous lake in the mountains of Switzerland.
The toy museums included the Toy Museum of Nuremberg, in a city famous for toy manufacturing since the 16th Century. Though the museum was closed when we arrived, Director Dr. Helmut Schwarz opened up for us so we could see the fabulous collections. The museum will house an extraordinary exhibit of J.W. Spear games. (See page xx) Another area famous for wooden toys is the Jura, a natural park and forest in France. There, in the small, mountain town of Moirans-en-Montagne, is the Musée du Jouet. Their roughly-translated English museum guide even offers the correct history of Monopoly! “Before being the symbol of capitalism, this game is the concern of a will for reform and social justice. It’s inventor, Elisabeth Magie. . . considered that a unique tax (be) imposed. . . .In 1934, he (Charles Darrow) grabbed the idea and proposed it to the Parker Brothers’ firm.”
The toy museum in Mechelen, Belgium, the Speelgoedmuseum (the “Feelgood Museum” I call it), had floors of games. We discussed a traveling exhibit of American games that might begin there in 1999. The Schweizer Kindermuseum (Children’s museum) in Baden, Switzerland, also opened especially for us, and Director Roger Kaysel took us down to the vaults (the museum used to be a bank) which showcased an exhibit of trains. Imagine having your collection protected by an 18” steel door!
Of course, the museums focused on early games, but their exhibits of game history included some very new ones, and the success of the museums can be attributed in part to the European interest in playing games. In fact, many museums had games and puzzles on display that you could play!
The Germans, especially, take their playing very seriously. We met with Bernward Thole, Director of the German Games Archives, who catalogs most games that are produced in the German-language (and neighboring) countries, and oversees the Game of the Year. (See page xx) Some of these top games are finally being imported into the U.S. by small game companies and retailers. European players even look for games from their favorite inventors. The name of Sid Sackson, a famous and prolific American game inventor, is seen on game boxes all over Europe.
We also had the privilege of spending an evening with Erwin Glonnegger, the retired Director of Ravensburger game company who has written a splendid book on the history of European games. (It’s now out of print in Germany, but published in Poland.) The book should be definitely be reprinted and released in English.
English was not a problem when I sadly left Geert behind and headed for the country of the Mother tongue. In London, I met with Dr. Irving Finkel, from the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities of the British Museum. He is the one responsible for decoding the rules to the ancient game of Senet, a game available from the museum along with his latest book, Ancient Board Games, which includes the boards, pieces, and rules for Senet, Mehen (The Snake Game), Hounds and Jackals, and The Royal Game of Ur.
