International Puppet Institute -

The Documentation Centre of the Institut International de la Marionnette houses the largest specialised collection on puppetry in Europe.

The creation of the World Festival of Puppet Theatres had an enormous impact on the cultural life of the town of Charleville-Mézières.

In 1981, the Institut International de la Marionnette was created, which was entirely dedicated to the art of puppetry. In 1987, the Ecole Supérieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionette (ESNAM) opened its doors. Every three years, fifteen students from all over the world graduate here.

- more than 12,000 books , including 4,700 specialized titles on puppetry;

- a collection of over 3,200 videos , including recordings of shows and animated films from all over the world;

- more than 8,600 documentary files about companies, festivals and organizations from all over the world;

- a collection of more than 1,600 dolls , which can be consulted on request by researchers in residence;

- an iconographic collection of almost 11,000 documents, currently being processed and containing a wealth of photographs and posters;

- about 300 manuscripts ...

The Documentation Centre serves students, interns and researchers and is open to teachers, artists and the general public.

Willem Vandenameele