Musée de la Poupée

Eguisheim is a village of the Alsace Wine Route, about seven kilometres from Colmar, and its plan is unusual. The houses and streets of the old centre are arranged in concentric rings around the old castle of the counts of Eguisheim, which gives the village the shape of a snail shell or a wheel when seen from above. The half-timbered façades, painted in warm colours and decorated with flower boxes, make it one of the most photographed villages in Alsace, and it is classed among the most beautiful villages of France. It is also the birthplace of Pope Leo IX, born Bruno of Eguisheim in 1002, and the small octagonal chapel of Saint-Léon at the castle recalls him.

The doll museum is a small private museum in the village, started by the collectors Guido and Samy Odin, and it is the kind of place that a visitor can enjoy in less than an hour between wine tastings and walks. It shows a permanent collection of more than five hundred dolls, both antique and collectible, set out in displays that show how the toy has changed over time.

The history of the doll is long, and the museum follows its main stages. The earliest dolls were carved in wood or made of cloth, and from the late eighteenth century dolls with heads of wax, papier-mâché or porcelain became common. In the second half of the nineteenth century, French makers such as Jumeau and Bru produced elegant bisque-headed dolls, with glass eyes and fashionable clothes, that were sold as luxury toys, and German firms made cheaper dolls in huge numbers. The twentieth century brought celluloid, then plastic and vinyl, and with them the baby dolls and fashion dolls that many visitors remember from childhood. The costumes are a pleasure to look at, as many are small versions of the clothes that adults wore at the time, and they show changes in taste, from the heavy dresses of the Second Empire to the simple clothes of the 1950s.

The museum is suited to families, and to those who like toys, textiles and the history of childhood. It is small, so it does not take long to see, and it makes a good option on a rainy day. Opening arrangements vary by season and may change, so check with the village tourist office before you go.

The village offers much else. The Place du Marché, with its fountain in the form of an octagon, the Château Saint-Léon, the church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, and the cellars of the winegrowers, most of whom offer tastings, are worth seeing. Storks nest on the roofs in spring, and the vineyards that surround the village produce Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, with a Grand Cru site on the slope above. Marked paths lead through the vines, and Colmar is a short drive away. The museum is a small but cheerful addition to a day in the village.