Maison de la Pataphonie
Interactive instrumentarium in a half-timbered house from 1493-94 in Dinant: unusual instruments to touch and play, on a guided visit.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Maison de la Pataphonie is located in Dinant, rue En Rhée, in one of the oldest houses in the town: a half-timbered house built in 1493-1494, a date established by dendrochronological study. The building has undergone many changes, including the addition of an annex, the Maison du Pléban. Long uninhabited, it was earmarked for demolition in the 1970s; a popular movement saved it as the last vestige of medieval housing in Dinant. It was then transferred to the Province, and later to the City.
Today the house is run by the Centre culturel de Dinant as a space devoted to creativity and amateur artistic practice. It houses an interactive instrumentarium originally designed by musician, composer and instrument inventor Max Vandervorst. The route, presented as a journey to a strange country where everyday objects become musical instruments, is organised into “provinces”: Saxopholie, devoted to Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone and a native of Dinant; Métalodie; Lithosphère; Aqualubie; and Philaphonie.
The instrumentarium keeps evolving thanks to guides called Pataphons and to collaborations with luthiers and researchers, in particular the luthier Nicolas Bras. Visitors are invited to touch and play the instruments: water flutes, tigeophones, a PVC saxophone or the Grand Échantillonneur. Outside, in the courtyard, a sound sculpture more than two metres high and the Mur du Son extend the visit.
Highlights
- Interactive instrumentarium: unusual instruments to touch and play
- Organ of 54 harmonic flutes in the province devoted to Adolphe Sax
- Grand Échantillonneur and “stones that sound” (Lithosphère)
- Sound sculpture and the Mur du Son in the courtyard
- Half-timbered house of 1493-1494, one of the oldest in Dinant
Permanent exhibition
- Instrumentarium de la Maison de la Pataphonie – Route through five “provinces” (Saxopholie, Métalodie, Lithosphère, Aqualubie, Philaphonie) with unusual instruments to touch, plus a sound sculpture and the Mur du Son in the courtyard.
- Operated by
- Centre culturel de Dinant
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | –Visits from age 5; nursery school (2nd and 3rd year) €5 per pupil. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €7 per personGroups of 10 to 20 people: €7 per person; primary, secondary and higher education schools €7 per pupil, nursery schools €5. |
| Article 27 | €1.25 |
€7 per person. Booking essential (online, by email or by phone).
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The architecture of the house (staircases) does not allow access for people with reduced mobility; two parts of the route (Aqualubie and Métalodie) are not accessible to nursery pupils.
Kids & families
Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 5+
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Interactive route where you test the instruments; visit suitable from age 5. Visits for school groups from nursery to higher education are available by reservation.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 75 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | no |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | 75-minute guided visit, suitable from age 5, by reservation only; visitors touch and play the instruments. |
