The Collection

Throughout the year more than 90 Cribs distributed over some 300 square meters of exhibition space provide an opportunity to experience the art and devotion of the Christmas Crib and find expert knowledge on cribs and crib making.

The focus of the museum naturally lies on Nativity scenes. The Crèches in our section on Historic Nativity Scenes are generally more than 100 years old. They come from a time when many people we still unable to read and write and Cribs were an integral part of preaching the Christian faith - a visual sermon, so to speak.

The section on International Nativity Scenes proves that Cribs are not at all restricted to the alpine region - although the Tyrolian Crib might be the best known one. Displays from all seven continents show how different cultures tell the same story each in its very own and unique way.

The largest part of the collection is devoted to Contemporary Nativity Scenes. Folkloric Créches (Tyrolian, Moselle style and Italian) locate Christmas in their home country, time and culture. Oriental Créches try to achieve an architectural and cultural setting which places the birth of Christ into the Israel of Roman times. Box Créches and Dioramas, which draw the spectator into the scene by their way of working the line of sight, capture our imagination like no other. Multi-scene Créches and Block Cribs concentrate the life of Jesus into a compact scene. Créches from various materials like paper, Tiffany Glass or iconic pictures add variety to the experience.

The interested visitor may appreciate most the Nativity Scene from Sebastian Osterrieder, the Passion Crib from Alois Augustin Probst, the Diorama made by Claudio Mattei specifically for the opening of the museum or the Italian Christ Child from the 18th century, which forms - not only spatially - the center of the museum.

With this impressive collection "The House of the Créches" is the most significant museum dedicated to the Crèche in Rheinland-Pfalz and the surrounding states. Its vision and design and the quality of the exhibition make it well worth a visit.