This is the 4th time I have attended the Kulmbach event in Southern Germany. If my purchases are anything to go by, this was the best show ever! My first visit was back in 2007, when myself and a number of other Brits as well as Americans and many other nationalities arranged to rendezvous at the famous show. At that time it was still very much dominated by flat figures, both ancient and modern. I picked up a few hollowcast figures, including one rare, but damaged, Paris Office Zouave. Many of our German friends had brought along other solid/fully round figures, including many large scale examples by Heyde, Haffner and others, but these were not for sale.
Any disappointment about that was more than made up for by the magnificent display of beautifully painted and displayed flat figures, and the general atmosphere of bonhomie encouraged by the event’s location in the beer tent used in previous weeks for its original purpose. As well as the main tent, full of dealers selling every kind of figure, the town also organises competitions for painters of both flats and fully round figures. These take place in a public building next to the tent and are well worth close examination. In addition, the presence nearby of the imposing Plassenburg citadel, which dominates the town, offers the opportunity to view one of the largest collections of toy figures in the world. Again, these are predominantly flats, but beautifully displayed, many in huge dioramas. These portray various historical battles and other events, including the famous siege of Plassenburg itself. I think the latter still holds the Guinness world record for the largest display of its kind in the world! A much smaller, but nevertheless significant collection of fully rounded figures is also presented – well worth the entrance fee alone.
Accompanied by my wife again, my second visit was in 2015. This is a beautiful part of the world and it is easy to organise a holiday around the event to include many other interesting sights and activities for those not so interested in toy soldiers! The show, some 8 years later, had improved from my perspective. There were many more fully rounded figures for sale, as well as the thousands of flats of course. I managed to pick up a number of nice examples of larger scale figures by Heyde and Noris.
Move on another 4 years to 2019, and another large scale rendezvous with American friends had been organised. Again the show did not disappoint. Lots to see, and an even more varied bag, with Britains as well as Haffners and Noris added to my collection.
So to 2024 – after a hiatus due to the pandemic of 2020, this was the 2nd post-Covid event on a new biennial schedule. I did not attend the event in 2022, but I am pleased to report that the 2024 show was back, better than ever! There was a real buzz around the town, helped by the fact than an Italian festival coincided with the show dates, ensuring lots of good Italian food and wine as well as a parade of real Ferraris and Lamborghinis!
The accompanying photos show just a few of the things that caught my eye.
