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Visit the Rüdesheim Music Museum on a Lüftner Rhine River cruise

Standing in the Rüdesheim Music Museum, I felt the wonder and enchantment of a child. A colourful fairground organ started into life with breathy melodies and exotic moving figures.

Clearly the others who had joined this tour from our Rhine Cruise felt the same. We sang along to the scratchy gramophone record; “When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what would I be?”

Vintage car at the Music Museum at Rudesheim Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Vintage car at the Music Museum at Rudesheim

Visiting the Rüdesheim Music Museum

The Rüdesheim Music Museum is housed in an attractive old manor house, the Brömserhof. This knight’s residence dates back to the 15th century, with a vintage car outside where we had our photo taken.

The museum was started by German collector, Siegfried Wendel who gathered together this collection of mechanical musical instruments. He opened his museum in the 1960s in Hochheim am Main, later moving it to the current home in Rüdesheim when the collection became too large.

I hope that you enjoy my video below from the Rüdesheim Music Museum

If you can’t see my video of the Rüdesheim Music Museum, view it on my blog here or on YouTube here

The Rudesheim Music Museum - Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
The Rudesheim Music Museum – Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet

The museum houses about 350 self-playing musical instruments and can only be visited during a 45 minute guided tour. Our guide explained the history of many of the instruments and set them to play for us.

We saw how the old punch cards were fed into many of the instruments for each song, and learned how the gramophone needle had to be changed each time, or it would destroy the record.

Check out this Rhine River map – plus my 6-day Rhine River cruise itinerary

Rudesheim on our Rhine River Cruise Photo Heatheronhertravels.com
The Rudesheim Music Museum – Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet

Fairground organs and pianos

Our tour included colourful fairground organs, a sophisticated mechanical piano topped with violins, a ghostly piano that played itself and tiny musical boxes containing a trilling bird. Reproductions of which were available in the museum shop for a mere €2000!

The museum opens between March and December 10am-6pm and you will need to join a tour to have the musical instruments explained and demonstrated. Cost (information from the website as ours was part of the cruise tour of Rüdesheim) is €10 adults, €5 children.

Afterwards, take a walk down the narrow Drosselgasse, a lane that is lined with inns and wine houses where you can try some of the local wines from the Rhine region. Or, enjoy a Rüdesheim coffee as we did, laced with Asbach brandy and topped with whipped cream.

The Rudesheim Music Museum - Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
The Rudesheim Music Museum – Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet

For more information on the Rüdesheim music museum visit the Siegried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet website.

Read Next

A Rhine River map – plus our 6-day Rhine River cruise itinerary

Rhine River map

More Tales from my Rhine River Cruise

All aboard the Amadeus Princess – what to expect from your river cruise ship
My Rhine River Cruise – a week of history, wine and music – podcast
From Riesling to Gewürztraminer – our wine tasting on the Alsace Wine Route

About Lüftner Cruises

Lüftner Cruises specialise in European river cruises on the Rhine, Danube, Rhône and other destinations in Europe, with personal service and Austrian hospitality. We travelled on the Amadeus Princess on a 7 day Classical Rhine Cruise which travelled from Basel to Amsterdam, although we disembarked at Cologne.

My thanks to Lüftner Cruises who hosted* our Rhine River Cruise.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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Kathy Rozema

Monday 8th of May 2023

I was wondering if you could help me. Some years ago my husband bought me a music box with the little bird that pops up. I think we were in your museum. Well, I had company at our house and I think a little person played with it when no one was around. Nobody touches that box but me!! Needless to say it is broken. I am heartbroken because I loved it but I don’t know where to send it to have it fixed. My husband has since passed away and I would really like to have it fixed. Do you do repairs or know where I can safely send it to be fixed? Regards, Kathy Rozema

I’m from the U.S.A.

Heather Cowper

Thursday 3rd of August 2023

@Kathy I can't advise you on repairs, but I'd suggest you take your precious music box to a jewellers or antique shop who can advise.

Mark H

Sunday 20th of October 2013

I love all the enchanting musical trinkets - such craftsmanship and detail. What s superb collection.

Heather Cowper

Sunday 20th of October 2013

@Mark It was fun to hear them played - very nostalgic

Barbara Weibel

Monday 24th of June 2013

I love the music box with the little bird that pops up. I recall having a jewelry box as a child that played music when I opened the lid - hadn't thought about that for years.

Heather Cowper

Monday 24th of June 2013

@Barbara That music box was quite charming and I'd have loved to have treated myself only the reproductions were around €2000 in the gift shop as I remember!