Preserving the Magic of the Past for Future Generations.

More than just a collection, the Doll Museum is a labor of love. We are dedicated to protecting the history, craftsmanship, and stories behind every antique toy, ensuring that the charm of the 19th century lives on forever.

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Words can only say so much. We invite you to take a virtual tour of the Doll Museum. Discover the intricate details of our collection, feel the charm of our historic building, and see the passion that goes into preserving every piece.

Puppen Museum Bad Breisig Rhein-Zeitung
how it all started

Featured in Rhein-Zeitung (2014)

The New “Master of the Dolls” Carries on the Legacy

In January 2014, the local newspaper highlighted the new chapter of the Doll Museum. Oscar Ferreira, an aeronautical engineer, and Julia Osadcha took over the historic building on Koblenzer Straße with a clear mission: to keep the tradition alive.

“We fell in love with the house and the collection,” Oscar Ferreira told the press. Living on the upper floor, the couple dedicated themselves to preserving the magic of these 19th-century treasures, ensuring that the history of fashion, lifestyle, and childhood remains accessible to everyone.

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The Grand Reopening

Official Reopening with the City Mayor (2014)

A partnership for culture in Bad Breisig

Shortly after the acquisition, the museum celebrated its grand reopening. The event was attended by Mayor Bernd Weidenbach, highlighting the importance of the collection for local tourism and the city’s commitment to supporting this historical landmark.

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Rhein-Zeitung newspaper article from August 2023 featuring the Doll Museum Bad Breisig, listing the renovations and the 10th anniversary of owner Oscar Ferreira.
A DECADE OF DEDICATION

Featured in Rhein-Zeitung (August 2023)

10 Years of Dedication: A Journey into the “Toy World”

Nearly a decade after taking over, Oscar Ferreira continues to expand the museum’s legacy. This article highlights the extensive renovations done during the pandemic and the growth of the collection to over 3,000 antique dolls.

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Read Full Article Translations

Click below to read the English translations.

“Bad Breisig. Time seems to stand still in the striking red house on Koblenzer Straße in Bad Breisig. As soon as the visitor enters the rooms on the ground floor, they feel transported back to the 19th century. Several hundred dolls, in all variations, welcome the guest and invite them to linger. The Doll Museum and its new host, Oscar Ferreira, look forward to every interested visitor. The Rhein-Zeitung visited the museum and spoke with the new ‘Master of the Dolls’.

Actually, he was initially just looking for a house. The charming building in Bad Breisig, which once housed the municipal town hall, appealed to him at first sight and sparked his interest. ‘However, during the first visit to the interior, I was a little speechless,’ Oscar Ferreira recalls precisely.

The 39-year-old native of Portugal, who has lived in Germany since 2010, works as an aeronautical engineer for EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency based in Cologne. Until he bought the house in April of last year, he had no connection to dolls, neither professionally nor privately.

But already on the second or third visit, together with my Ukrainian partner, the idea came to us to continue this museum,’ confesses Oscar Ferreira. Just like his girlfriend Julia Osadcha, he is enthusiastic and inspired every day by the hundreds of dolls that were collected over many decades by the couple Waldy and Karl-Heinz Rängel, partially restored and lovingly arranged.

Oscar Ferreira and Julia Osadcha, who live on the upper floor of the house, spend a lot of time in the Doll Museum. ‘The rooms are filled with so many details that I discover something new every day,’ says Oscar Ferreira, and Julia Osadcha adds: ‘The dolls, mostly from Germany and France, provide an insight into the era of Europe at that time. Not only in terms of the ideal of beauty, but also regarding fashion, furniture, style, and living conditions.’ This is because a large part of the dolls can be observed in fully furnished dollhouses in miniature format.

Oscar Ferreira, who has acquired a lot of knowledge about dolls over the past months through specialized literature, treats the exhibits with the utmost respect. Therefore, he intends to make changes to the exhibition only very timidly, so that the thematic structure becomes clearer to the visitor. In addition, Ferreira wants to create a museum guide that conveys interesting facts to visitors, even outside of guided tours. Thanks to their international background, guided tours can be offered not only in Portuguese, Ukrainian, or German, but also in Russian, Japanese, English, and Spanish.

A visit to the Doll Museum at Koblenzer Straße 31 in Bad Breisig is recommended for all age groups. While older visitors feel reminded of their own childhood, younger visitors can get to know an era without electronic toys and without the Internet.”

“Finally, the time has come: the traditional Doll Museum in Bad Breisig has reopened. On Monday morning, Mayor Bernd Weidenbach, the head of the Tourist Information Holger Klemm, and the economic promoter Gerhard Oelsberg met at the Doll Museum with the new owner, Oscar Ferreira.

The new owner explained his background, his relationship with the historic building next to the Spa Park, his newfound interest in historical dolls, and his ideas and goals regarding the future operation of the museum. Bernd Weidenbach welcomed Ferreira’s commitment and plans regarding the design and attractiveness of the former town hall building next to the Spa Park and promised that the city would help wherever possible.

The doll collection in Bad Breisig dates mostly from the 19th century, but also from the first decades of the 20th century, and reflects a piece of German history during the Industrial Revolution. Most of the dolls were toys for the children of the upper class of that time; others were used, for example, as models to present new fashion to wealthy ladies. The dolls come largely from Germany, which at that time produced most dolls. But examples from France, England, and even the USA complete the interesting collection of historical dolls and dollhouses.”


“Bad Breisig. Whether made of wood or dough: The doll has developed beautifully since the beginning of the modern doll industry. This is what visitors learn in the Doll Museum in Bad Breisig, housed in the Old Town Hall on Koblenzer Straße 31. A very special collection is at home in a historic building, built in the years 1873/74.

The master of the nearly 3,000 dolls in total is Oscar Ferreira. Ten years ago, he bought the Old Town Hall along with its contents. He had never thought before that he would one day own such a historical treasure. Actually, he was only interested in the building at the beginning. When he was then asked if he wanted to take over the contents too—the museum has existed since 1988—he had to think about it first. ‘It took me a few months to make a decision,’ he says. But then it became clear to him: ‘The Doll Museum is part of the history of the house. We want to continue the tradition. That is something very special.’

How true. Because visitors can undertake a historical journey into the world of the doll industry, which began about 170 years ago, through the approximately 1,000 exhibits on display. And this in a lovingly decorated setting with old rocking horses, doll prams, grocery stores, and much more. The oldest dolls to be seen, made of wax and porcelain, date from the mid-19th century. (…) ‘It was the manufacturing country,’ says Ferreira, who is now a true connoisseur and pursues his hobby with great passion. ‘A large percentage was also exported to Great Britain and the USA,’ he adds, and reports that today there are far more testimonies in the United States than in Germany. The number of doll fairs is substantially higher there than here, he knows.

Ferreira used the Corona period to renovate the ground floor. He is currently in the process of furnishing a sitting area in an adjoining room. In addition, doll rooms from the mid-19th century to the time between the two world wars are to be presented soon. However, he admits he won’t manage to create a treasure trove up to the ‘onion head’ doll (Zwiebelmarkt) just yet, as Ferreira works professionally in aviation. ‘Maybe by the end of the year,’ he says.

In the course of the renovation, a warehouse and a workshop were added on the ground floor next to the existing office. This makes it even better to care for the collection. And new items must first be processed before they come into the exhibition, explains Ferreira. He does simple things himself. For the more complicated ones, a doll artist comes once or twice a year, and a painter from Ukraine who lives in Bad Breisig helps too. ‘We are also still looking for articles that require restoration, so that we can give them a new life,’ says Ferreira.”




The Origins

Honoring the founders Waldy & Karl-Heinz Rängel

Before Oscar and Julia took over the guardianship of the museum, this collection was lovingly built over decades. Watch this archival footage to glimpse the museum’s atmosphere in its earlier years.

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Experience the Magic in Person

Combine your visit to the Doll Museum with a relaxing day in beautiful Bad Breisig along the Rhine.

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