Children participate in Menzel Village Scavenger Hunt
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Willa Koester, daughter of Michael and Christina Koester of New Ulm competes in the Menzel Village Scavenger Hunt at the Brown County Historical Museum Friday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch The Menzel Village display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum contains more than 1,000 pieces, some more than 100 years old.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch A snowman and snowwoman holding candles are among Menzel Village pieces on display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum. The Menzel Village display contdinues through Dec. 31.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch A realistic, almost lifelike nativity scene made in Germany is nextz to the Menzel Village display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Willa Koester, daughter of Michael and Christina Koester of New Ulm competes in the Menzel Village Scavenger Hunt at the Brown County Historical Museum Friday.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch The Menzel Village display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum contains more than 1,000 pieces, some more than 100 years old.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch A snowman and snowwoman holding candles are among Menzel Village pieces on display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum. The Menzel Village display contdinues through Dec. 31.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch A realistic, almost lifelike nativity scene made in Germany is nextz to the Menzel Village display at the Brown County Historical Society Museum.
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NEW ULM -- Children carried clipboards with a list of items to find at the Menzel Village Scavenger Hunt at the Brown County Historical Society Museum Friday.
Menzel Village, on display at the museum through Dec. 31, includes farms with farmers, cows and horses, barns, churches, skiers, skaters, geese, among other pieces.
The scavenger hunt list included a goose, dog, couple in a wooden sleigh, skier, rain deer, piano and piano player, a locomotive and two train cars.
Louise Fritsche Menzel and her husband Walter began collecting Christmas Village pieces during her traveling around the world. The village was set up annually in the Menzel home.
It later became an exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and was displayed at large banks in the Twin Cities Area.
Menzel donated the village to the Brown County Historical Society in 1983 on the condition that it continue to be displayed at the museum.
Village display pieces from Germany, Japan, England, and Czechoslovakia date back to 1937. The set design varies each year.
A realistic, almost lifelike wooden nativity scene made in Meersburg, Germany, is displayed at the museum next to the Menzel Village.
Other holiday museum displays include White House ornaments from Dave Weldy, a nativity made of corn plants and ornaments from Marilyn Hesse and ornaments from Kathleen Backer. Displays were curated by Backer and Hesse.
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Call 507-233-2616 or visit www.browncountyhistorymn.org for more information.