The German Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments in Bruchsa

The German Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments, which was formerly known as the museum of mechanical musical instruments in Bruchsal Palace, reopened in 2003. It was renamed due to the 2002 purchase of Jens Carlson’s private collection, which considerably increased the number of exhibits and resulted in a great expansion of the exhibition space..

The circa 500 objects now on exhibit in the museum show the development of mechanical musical instruments beginning with their handcrafting during the 17^th and 18^th centuries, continuing through their heyday towards the end of the 19^th century, up to their swansong during the Great Depression in the 1920s.

	Decorative clock France, circa 1650 A clockwork mechanism which strikes every hour A set of chimes with moving figures

	The Hupfeld Violina Hupfeld company Leipzig, circa 1923

In our Mechanical Musical Instruments Gallery you can listen to the sounds of other instruments from our exhibition. 

The exhibits also reflect the most important manufacturing centres. National manufacturers are documented (in particular Freiburg and Waldkirch in the Black Forest and Leipzig in Saxony) as well as international centres, including Paris, the Swiss cantons of Jura and Geneva, and the United States of America. 

Life-sized models of a silent-film cinema, a traditional German restaurant and a ballroom all create an impression of the original atmosphere or setting and show when and where the instruments were used.