3,000 theater puppets move from Brusselpoort to city hall in Mechelen: "Preserving stories behind puppets for the future"

More than 3,000 puppets from the Mechelen puppet theater DE MAAN are relocating from the Brusselpoort to the city hall, where they will be housed in the future Heritage Hub. The collection will undergo thorough inspection and inventory updates during the move. Greet Geypen, the heritage alderman, emphasizes the importance of preserving the stories behind the puppets for future generations. Some puppets may not survive the move due to damage. After inspection, selected puppets will be temporarily stored at Depot Rato for cleaning and packaging. The move is complex, with some large puppets needing to be removed through windows. A digital inventory will also be created to document the puppets and their histories, with assistance from puppeteer Paul Contryn. The final relocation is scheduled for 2029, coinciding with the opening of the Heritage Hub.