The history of the doll's house dates back to the 16th century. The oldest known doll's house was built in 1558 for Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria - but not as a toy, but as the smallest work of art and exhibit. In the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy patrician families in Nuremberg and Augsburg took up the idea and rebuilt their houses in miniature to show off their wealth.

At the time, they were merely objects of children's illustration. The first dolls' houses for girls were built to playfully prepare them for their future work as housewives. The model was the apartments of high-class bourgeois families, reproduced as faithfully as possible.

At the end of the 19th century, there were also separate rooms for dolls' houses, especially dolls' kitchens, which were equipped with all the necessary kitchen appliances. Meanwhile, dolls' houses were industrially produced, but in poorer families they were made in a simple form by hand. It used to be customary to set up a doll's house to give presents on Christmas Eve, and after Christmas in January to repackage it and store it in the attic to be played with only for a short time.

Originally, dolls' houses were intended to educate little girls and later housewives. It was thought that one should practise housekeeping from "young nails". Older examples can now be seen in toy museums and are coveted collectors' items.

There is an entire doll town called Mont Plaisir. It was made for Princess Augusta Dorothea von Schwarzburg-Arnstadt (1666-1751) in Arnstadt, Thuringia. This town consists of many dolls' houses and was not conceived as a toy but as a work of art. The aim was to reproduce the reality of the time with the nobility, bourgeoisie and peasants. The princely residence is depicted in numerous rooms, each with dolls depicting small scenes showing court life. There is also a miniature monastery. Craftsmen and a market are also represented here. The doll town is populated by more than 400 dolls that were handmade by the princess' court.

Based on Mon Plaisir website. Photos taken from public sources.