Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belgium Brussels The Musical Instrument Museum
AO Edited

The Musical Instrument Museum

Three floors of musical instruments coming from all corners of the world and hundreds of years of musical history.

Brussels, Belgium

Added By
Madiha Bataineh
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Museum hosts a spectacular range of beautifully-decorated harpsichords, virginals and pianos.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
  maren / Atlas Obscura User
Elevator   Frederic Diependaele / Atlas Obscura User
IPEM Studio equipment in the basement’s ‘Mechanical Music’ section.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Antique Italian fisarmonicas among the traditional instruments from around the globe.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Traditional Indian instruments.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
A fish-shaped Portuguese bandolin.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Tibetan instruments on display.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Bruxelles - Old England   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Bruxelles - Old England   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Bruxelles - Old England   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
  Taterchips / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located in central Brussels, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is part of the Royal Museum for Art and History. Renowned for its collection of over 1,500 instruments, the museum showcases the instruments and provides visitors with free headphones to experience their "vibes" (visitors are given infrared headphones in order to listen to almost 200 musical extracts of the instruments on display).

The museum's collection represents Belgian musical history (including Brussels' importance in the making of recorders in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and as the home of instrument inventor Adolphe Sax in the nineteenth century), European musical traditions, and non-European instruments. Mechanical instruments are shown in the basement, traditional instruments on the ground floor, the development of the modern orchestral instruments on the first floor, and keyboard and stringed instruments on the second floor.

The museum also has a sound lab where visitors can experiment with various instruments.

Among the notable pieces of the collection are the famous Rottenburgh Alto recorder, instruments invented by Adolphe Sax, a unique set of giant Chinese stone chimes, and the only existing copy of the luthéal, an instrument used by Ravel.

Information is provided in French and Dutch, though not in English.

Related Tags

Museums Music Museums And Collections

Know Before You Go

The museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The Brussels Card is valid in the museum so holders can enter at no extra cost. The MiM is easy to find on the Mont des Arts. To reach the museum by bus or tram, head to the Royale or Palais stops. Gare-Centrale (Central Station) is just around the corner for visitors coming by train or Metro. There is also a cafe on the top level with lovely views if you can get a window table.

Community Contributors

Added By

Madiha Bataineh

Edited By

JamazingClayton, bankercb, philoursmars, maren...

  • JamazingClayton
  • bankercb
  • philoursmars
  • maren
  • Frederic Diependaele
  • Taterchips

Published

September 28, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Museum of Musical Instruments: http://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/brusscard/participants.php?mid=40
  • Wikipedia: Musical Instrument Museum (Brussels): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Museum_(Brussels)
The Musical Instrument Museum
Rue Montagne de la Cour 2
Brussels, 1000
Belgium
50.842643, 4.358916
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Musée des Arbalétriers (Museum of Crossbowmen)

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Museum of Erotics and Mythology

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Commemoration of Peter the Great's Vomit

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brussels

Brussels

Belgium

Places 41
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Musée des Arbalétriers (Museum of Crossbowmen)

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Museum of Erotics and Mythology

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Commemoration of Peter the Great's Vomit

Brussels, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brussels

Brussels

Belgium

Places 41
Stories 3

Related Stories and Lists

A Global Tour of Remarkable Musical Instruments

List

By Michael Inscoe

Related Places

  • Bentside Spinet

    Manchester, England

    RNCM Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

    Over 300 historical instruments from around the world can be found in the Royal Northern College of Music's basement.

  • Haarlem, Netherlands

    Draaiorgel Museum

    At this barrel organ museum, history and live concert keep Dutch street organ culture alive.

  • Lisbon, Portugal

    Museu do Fado

    An unassuming music museum recounts the rags to riches story of a dramatic Portuguese genre.

  • Musical mechanical marvels abound.

    Ein Hod, Israel

    Nisco Museum

    It took a lifetime to collect these mechanical musical wonders.

  • The corner store museum entrance.

    Atlanta, Georgia

    Trap Music Museum

    A provocative museum dedicated to the genre and the harsh realities that inspired its origins.

  • Moogseum.

    Asheville, North Carolina

    Moogseum

    A museum dedicated to the legacy of Bob Moog and his pioneering synthesizers.

  • Edinburgh, Scotland

    St Cecilia's Hall

    Scotland's oldest purpose-built concert hall houses an incredible collection of ornate, centuries-old keyboards.

  • Chalice/grigson #2

    Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Museum of Sound

    An unusual collection of self-made musical instruments and unique noises.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.