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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

Upcycling Music

‘Upcycling Music’ presents imaginative musical instruments made from recycled materials and invites visitors to try them out. From 16 January 2025.

Ongoing work in the music museum

Due to ongoing work in the music museum, the exhibition rooms are currently being used in a reduced capacity.

Online shop – Discover our range of products

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

Opening hours

 

Special opening hours:

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

Fasnacht Monday
March 10, 2025
Monday: closed

Fasnacht Tuesday
March 11, 2025
Tuesday: closed

Fasnacht Wednesday
March 12, 2025
Wednesday: closed

Maundy Thursday
April 17, 2025
Thursday: open

Good Friday
April 18, 2025
Friday: open

Easter Sunday
April 20, 2025
Sunday: open

Easter Monday
April 21, 2025
Monday: 11 AM to 5 PM

Labour Day
May 1, 2025
Thursday: closed

Ascension Day
May 29, 2025
Thursday: open

Whit Sunday
June 8, 2025
Sunday: open

Whit Monday
June 9, 2025
Monday: 11 AM to 5 PM

Swiss National Day
August 1, 2025
Friday: open

Christmas Eve
December 24, 2025
Wednesday: closed

Christmas Day
December 25, 2025
Thursday: closed

Boxing Day
December 26, 2025
Friday: open

New Year's Eve
December 31, 2025
Wednesday: open

New Year's Day
January 1, 2026
Thursday: 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
Students of the University of Basel

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

Management & administration
PO box | Steinenberg 4
CH-4001 Basel

Office opening hours
8:30 – 12 AM | 13:30 – 17 PM
Reception: +41 61 205 86 00
historisches.museum(at)bs.ch

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Open today from 10 AM to 5 PM
Closed today
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