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Musikmuseum: Outside view
Basel Historical Museum

MUSIKMUSEUM

 

All opening hours and prices

Musikmuseum: Inside view of the room: Music in Basel |
Basel Historical Museum

MUSIKMUSEUM

 

All opening hours and prices

Musikmuseum: Inside view of the room: Concerts, Choirs and Dancing
Basel Historical Museum

MUSIKMUSEUM

 

All opening hours and prices

With over 3,300 objects to its name, Basel Historical Museum is in possession of Switzerland’s largest collection of musical instruments.

 

Spread over three floors, the Musikmuseum boasts some 650 European instruments spanning five centuries of music history from the oldest drum dating from 1571 and a highly ornate viola da gamba by Joachim Tielke (ca. 1704) to the Weber Unika Orchestrion of 1925. The twenty-four cells of the former prison serve as showcases in which visitors can admire the instruments while calling up countless samples and additional information on an interactive screen. While touring the museum you will therefore hear all sorts of music, from the familiar to the bizarre.

History of the Musikmuseum

Ligeti Labyrinth – An Exhibition Celebrating the Centenary of the Composer György Ligeti’s Birth

He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century. Many original manuscripts are on display in the exhibition and media stations invite visitors to experiment with his music.

Online shop – Discover our range of products

In our online shop, we offer you publications as well as other selected products.

Play Salon – Sounds of the 1920s and 1960s

Music from the 1920s to the 1960s can often be heard emanating from the play salon. The Weber Unika Orchestrion and AMI Continental Jukebox play dance music several times a day.

Opening hours

 

Special opening hours:

Christmas Eve
December 24, 2023
Sunday: closed

Christmas Day
December 25, 2023
Monday: closed

Boxing Day
December 26, 2023
Tuesday: 11 AM to 5 PM

New Year's Eve
December 31, 2023
Sunday: open

New Year's Day
January 1, 2024
Monday: 11 AM to 5 PM

Fasnacht Monday
February 19, 2024
Monday: closed

Fasnacht Tuesday
February 20, 2024
Tuesday: closed

Fasnacht Wednesday
February 21, 2024
Wednesday: closed

Maundy Thursday
March 28, 2024
Thursday: open

Good Friday
March 29, 2024
Friday: open

Easter Sunday
March 31, 2024
Sunday: open

Easter Monday
April 1, 2024
Monday: 11 AM to 5 PM

Labour Day
May 1, 2024
Wednesday: closed

Ascension Day
May 9, 2024
Thursday: open

Whit Sunday
May 19, 2024
Sunday: open

Whit Monday
May 20, 2024
Monday: 11 AM to 5 PM

Swiss National Day
August 1, 2024
Thursday: open

Christmas Eve
December 24, 2024
Tuesday: closed

Christmas Day
December 25, 2024
Wednesday: closed

Boxing Day
December 26, 2024
Thursday: open

New Year's Eve
December 31, 2024
Tuesday: 11 AM to 5 PM

New Year's Day
January 1, 2025
Wednesday: open

More dates
Less dates

Admission

General admission fee

Adults CHF 10.– 
Reduced rate CHF 5.– *
Combi-Ticket for all three sites: CHF 20.– 
Combi-Ticket for all three sites, reduced rate: CHF 10.– *
Groups of 10 or more CHF 8.–

* young people under 18 and up to 30 if still in education or training

Free admission

Happy Day: 1st Sunday of the month
Happy Hour: Last hour of the day (except Sundays & holidays)
Accompanying person of IV card holder
Children up to 13
Members of Association for Basel Historical Museum
Members of ICOM/VMS
Holders of Museums-PASS-Musées, Swiss Museum Pass or Colourkey

Surcharge for events

Selected events are subject to a surcharge of CHF 5.– in addition to admission fee.

Location and directions

A wide choice of tours

Living History – Babettli

Musikmuseum: Living History Babettli

«Baaabettli!!!!» – Babette describes her life as a maid to the Ryhiner-Leissler family.

Book a tour

eGuides

eGuide

Your electronic museum guide.

Further information

History of the Musikmuseum

Musikmuseum stands on a hill above the Barfüsserplatz in the medieval heart of Basel. It belongs to a complex that dates back to St. Leonhard’s Convent, a monastery of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. The Church of St. Leonhard, thought to have been founded between 1060 and 1070, is part of the same ensemble. Like so many other buildings in Basel, the convent was severely damaged by the great earthquake of 1356 and had to be repaired at considerable expense. The 15th century brought further troubles as a result of war, plague and famine, and not until the end of that century was there a change for the better. The arrival of the Reformation in Basel in 1529 put an end to its monastic activities once and for all, while the Church of St. Leonhard was named one of Basel’s four Protestant parish churches. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the complex was used as a builder’s yard and since the yard also doubled as the place where the Lohnherren, or employers, paid out wages, it came to be known as the Lohnhof (lit. «wage yard»). This is how things stood in 1821 when the police moved in.

From 1835 to 1995, the former convent was used as a prison and when that, too, closed, the Basel-based architects Morger & Degelo converted the former library and cell tract into a museum of music. The building housing the Musikmuseum will soon be a thousand years old and its history has remained visible to this day.

 
Contact

Basel Historical Museum
Management & administration
Steinenberg 4
PO box
CH – 4001 Basel

Reception: +41 61 205 86 00
historisches.museum(at)bs.ch

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Open today from 10 AM to 5 PM
Open today from 11 AM to 5 PM
Open today from 11 AM to 5 PM
Tuesday to Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM
Wednesday to Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM
Wednesday to Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM