Who would have guessed that humans are so fond of nuts that they started inventing devices to crack them to get to the delicious morsel inside some few thousand years ago? The fascinating Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum contains more than 6,000 tools invented solely for cracking nuts, dating back to the Roman times all the way to today.

They are made out of many different materials and there are a number of variations such as the tiny wooden toy soldier we recognize from the popular ballet, Asian Betel cutters, European carved wooden figures, the precious ivory, ebony and porcelains figures, the elaborate Victorian silver nutcrackers, and so many others. Some are very ornate and others are crude, but they all show the history of human ingenuity and artistry, and love for nuts. The collection, probably the biggest in the world, was gathered by George and Arlene Wagner, who opened the museum in 1995 and donated the entire collection, as well as the building, to the city.

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, 735 Front St, Leavenworth, Washington 98826, Phone: 509-548-4573

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