Established in the 1860s, the Zunftaltertümersammlung or ‘Old Guilds Collection’ has steadily grown to contain some 4000 objects.

In contrast to localized or regional collections, History of Crafts conveys an idea of the diversity of the old crafts in all of German-speaking Central Europe.

The collection largely features two distinct thematic groups: the ‘corporation relics’, rare tools and historical workshop equipment. Both groups are particularly rich in objects from Nuremberg.