New support association fights to preserve the playing card museum in LE

New support association fights to preserve the playing card museum in LE

The German Playing Card Museum in Leinfelden-Echterdingen receives support from a newly founded support association chaired by Ilona Koch. She is not only the chairwoman of the support association, but also the CDU parliamentary group leader in the local council. At their side, Volker Claus acts as vice-chairman and Eckart Fricke as treasurer, while Annette Köger, the former director of the museum, has been confirmed as secretary. The board's goal is to preserve the museum and the valuable map collection and prevent closure, as the Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports.

Against the background of these developments, Ilona Koch announced that information about measures, sponsors and patrons will be published in the coming weeks. In addition, a concept is being worked on to strengthen the cultural heritage and the unique selling point of Leinfelden-Echterdingen as a map city. Five new members have already joined the association to actively support the preservation of the collection, which includes a total of 30,000 playing cards from all over the world.

Planned changes and challenges

The collection is housed in the basement of the Schönbuchschule and goes back to the ASS company, which sold the museum to the city and the state in the 1980s. At the beginning of 2025, the majority of the local council voted to terminate the contract with the Württemberg State Museum, which runs until the end of 2026. Regardless, the city plans to encourage the state to participate financially and personally in the collection.

According to the city administration, investment costs of around 600,000 euros are required to modernize the museum. However, Koch described this number as a “concrete number” and called for reliable figures on the actual investment. The challenge therefore remains great in order to secure the future of the museum and the collection.

Cultural significance of playing cards

The cultural relevance of playing cards cannot be overstated. They have been an integral part of human culture for centuries and are used in all major cultures. They serve not only for entertainment, but also for education and interpretation of the future, according to the museum's support association. The German Playing Card Museum also holds the largest public playing card collection in Europe, which has been continuously expanded since 1983 through purchases by the support association.

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the support association is celebrating this year with a special exhibition showing a selection of its valuable acquisitions. The opening of the exhibition took place on November 27, 2022, and it continues to attract many interested parties who want to learn about the diverse aspects of the playing card collection.

In summary, it can be said that the German Playing Card Museum is facing an important phase in which it urgently needs support and innovative concepts in order to continue to exist as a cultural heritage in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. Those interested can find further information about the support association and its activities on the website of the Förderverein Spielkartenmuseum.