Augsburger Puppenkiste

The Augsburger Puppenkiste (German for: Augsburg Puppetchest) is a marionette theater in Augsburg, Germany.

It is located at the former Heilig-Geist-Spital in the historic center of Augsburg. Since 1948, the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" had been producing theatrical adaptations of fairy tales and serious pieces. In 1953, it began producing television series and gained nationwide prominence with productions, such as Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer and Urmel aus dem Eis.

The Puppenkiste (puppet chest): A family business

In 1943, Walter Oehmichen (1901–1977) founded his own small puppet theater together with his wife Rose Oehmichen (1901–1985) and their daughters Hannelore (1931–2003) and Ulla: the Puppenschrein, a puppet theatre which consisted of a small wooden stage that could be set up in a door frame. In the night of February 26, 1944, this stage was destroyed in a fire following a bomb assault in Augsburg. The figures, however, remained undamaged - luckily Walter Oehmichen took them home after performing for the kids of the stage members in the city theatre of Augsburg. Both the city theatre and the Puppenschrein within were almost completely destroyed by flames. Today, only one ornament from the original shrine is left.

After the war, Walter Oehmichen began planning a new puppet theatre. At the former Heilig-Geist Hospital, he found a room to perform his shows. First, however, Oehmichen had to share the premises with the city’s Office of Statistics.