Markt- und Schaustellermuseum

Description

In Essen's Westviertel, the Markt- und Schaustellermuseum preserved objects documenting the history of the fairground trade from the late 18th century to the mid-20th century. It presented life and work on markets and fairgrounds in a museum setting.

The origin and location of the institution lie in the private collection of a showman; the collection was housed until 1996 in a hall at Berliner Platz beside the Essener Großmarkt. After the Großmarkt was demolished, the city made a former factory hall near the main station available free of charge, allowing the exhibits to be shown after restoration. After the founder's death his heirs ran the museum on a voluntary basis for a time. Museum operations ended in 2020; remaining items were initially sold and finally auctioned at a flea market in May 2023, whereupon the museum was permanently closed.

The display included a wide variety of objects: market and fairground figures made of wood, porcelain, pewter, tinplate and silver; games and puzzles; and decorative plates and wall tapestries with market, fairground and circus motifs. Documents and photographs of showmen's families and equipment for early photography complemented the holdings. Exhibited pieces included carousels and carousel animals, Moritatentafeln, travelling cinema equipment, market carts, showmen's caravans and a scissor-sharpener's cart. An extensive collection of fairground musical instruments — such as barrel organs, portable pianos, harmoniums, orchestrions and cylinder organs — underlined the collection's cultural-historical value; many pieces date to the last decades of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and some originate in the 18th century.