Musée de la musique mécanique

About the museum

The museum’s collection grew out of the passion of Philippe Corbin, a restorer and collector from Dollon, who for more than fifty years scoured secondhand shops and flea markets. His taste for mechanical instruments dates back to his childhood and to his discovery of an Ariston, a mechanical musical instrument that came from a family of music lovers and had been bought at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. He then restored numerous instruments.

From 1994 onwards, he decided to turn his collection into a museum. In December 2019 he retired and handed over his life’s work to the Communauté de communes des Vallées de la Braye et de l’Anille, which took over the business, the premises and the collection. Day-to-day management remains with the association Musiques Magiques, whose volunteers run the reception and guide visitors.

The guided tour lasts about an hour and travels through time from 1800 to the present. It begins in a 1930s bistro setting and passes through the ballroom, the small cinema and the “treasure cave”. It presents 19th- and 20th-century instruments restored to working order: accordions, jukeboxes, mechanical pianos, phonographs, barrel organs and Scopitone.

Highlights

• Guided tour in a 1930s bistro setting
• Barrel organs, dance organs and mechanical pianos in working order
• Music boxes, polyphons, phonographs, jukebox and Scopitone
• Ballroom, small cinema and “treasure cave”
• Collection assembled by the restorer Philippe Corbin

Permanent exhibition

• Collection de musique mécanique – Mechanical instruments of the 19th and 20th centuries in working order, displayed in a 1930s bistro, a ballroom, a small cinema and a treasure cave.

Founded

1994

Operated by

Communauté de communes des Vallées de la Braye et de l’Anille (propriétaire) ; gestion par l’association Musiques Magiques

Admission & discounts

Payment in cash, by bank card, by cheque or with holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances). For groups, a break at the museum is offered on order at €5 per person (breakfast, aperitif or afternoon snack).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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 museum states that the visit is fully accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

A visit for the whole family, with a family rate. A family escape game is offered in winter, from age 10.

Getting there & parking

Access via the D302; the A11 motorway is about 15 km away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Bar and shop at the reception. Wi-Fi is listed among the services in the tourist office information sheets.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The museum hall can be booked exclusively for events; information from the museum.

Plan your visit