Minsk. Museum of Childhood.

The museum is a huge collection of toys, and the initial collection already numbered about 450 exhibits. This collection was put together by one person. It contains dolls from all over the world, different peoples and different times. In the museum of childhood, you can get knowledge about guardian dolls, helper dolls, and dowry dolls. You can find out who makes dolls and which ones are for girls, girls and women, and which ones are for boys, boys and men. It turns out that there are nations where some types of dolls are made only by men. You can also see collections of dolls from Asian, African, and American peoples here. English dollhouse, bedroom in an English dollhouse, French dolls, Slavic charm dolls, dolls made of straw and corn.

The journey into the world of childhood begins with an old staircase that opens the doors to themed halls. The museum has several of them. The names of the halls speak for themselves: young commander, narodny, toys of the USSR, grandmother's attic, playroom, world of puzzles, magic room.

Ancient Greek dolls or dolls from Victorian England are not original. They were made by talented craftsmen from BSPU based on samples from museum exhibits. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Many other foreign dolls came to the museum by auction, were bought at flea markets or received as a gift.

The museum exhibits dolls from Japan. This collection is "The Age of Women" in bright beautiful kimonos depicting a granddaughter, a girl, a woman and a grandmother. For the first time such rice beauties saw the light 400 years ago. Some of them were presented to the museum by the diplomatic staff of the Far Eastern states. 

Visitors are very surprised by the woven traditional Slavic dolls. And this is not accidental, because they were not just toys, but served as a talisman in the distant pagan times. In addition, the colors used in their manufacture had a sacred meaning. 

Dolls from the Soviet era also attract visitors. In the "land of the Soviets", the heroes for toys were workers and female workers: sailors, installers, doctors, cooks. They tried to introduce children to work and show them honorable professions.

The museum also features antique puzzles. They were invented in Great Britain back in 1761. In the "grandmother's attic" hall there are several large wax and clay dolls that were created in the 1860s. The height of such dolls reached up to 120 centimeters.

The Museum of Childhood is unique in its individual approach to each visitor, so it will be interesting for everyone here. Guided tours and workshops are held for groups, families, and individual visitors. Visitors really like that some of the exhibits can be picked up, examined in detail and even played with. All young visitors treat the exhibits with reverence and care, realizing that other children will come after them, who will also want to see unusual toys. 

There is a legend about the last queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, who had a huge collection of dolls. Looking at these amazing figures, Cleopatra tried to understand the culture and soul of different peoples. This is also the task of the museum.

In the museum For childhood, you can try to create a toy with your own hands and take it with you. This fascinating activity is very popular not only for children, but also for adults. The puzzle room and interactive mosaics are very impressive for children. There are puzzles everywhere: on the walls, on the floor, and even on the ceiling. The duration of the tour is from one to two hours and depends on the age. If the younger visitors are tired, there is a playroom where you can relax and play.

The Museum of Childhood is a very wonderful and interesting place where its creators try to preserve and show young visitors the history of the toy and the knowledge of the surrounding world and people through it.