Brahms-Haus

About the museum

The house on Lüttenheid, the former quarter of petty bourgeois and workers south of Heide's market square, belonged to the Brahms family from 1819 to 1887. Johannes Brahms himself grew up in Hamburg, but his father came from Heide, and the composer felt connected to the town all his life. The Brahms Society Schleswig-Holstein, founded in 1987 at the suggestion of Justus Frantz, bought the building in 1988 and opened it as a memorial on 17 July 1990 in the presence of Yehudi Menuhin.

The core of the exhibition was the donation of a middle-class living room from the second half of the 19th century. To this were added photographs, facsimiles, sheet music, portraits and busts, as well as a copy of the death mask. The most important piece is an 1855 square piano from the Rietmüller workshop in Göttingen, on which Brahms and Clara Schumann probably played together. A backlit reproduction of a 1904 watercolour shows Brahms's music room in his Vienna apartment.

The house is considered the northernmost museum of music in Germany. It stands right next to the Museumsinsel Lüttenheid with the birthplace of Klaus Groth, with whom Brahms was closely friendly. The Brahms Society also uses the house for concerts, lectures and courses, and organises the Brahms Weeks and the Brahms Prize from here.

Highlights

• Ancestral home of the Brahms family (in family ownership 1819–1887)
• Square piano from 1855, probably played by Brahms and Clara Schumann
• Middle-class living room of the late 19th century
• Backlit view of Brahms's music room in Vienna
• Specialist library and complete recordings on CD

Permanent exhibition

• Das Brahms-Haus – Stammhaus der Familie Brahms – A furnished living room from Brahms's time, the 1855 square piano, and photographs, scores, portraits and busts tell the story of Brahms and his roots in Heide.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Brahms-Gesellschaft Schleswig-Holstein e.V.

Admission & discounts

Members of the Brahms Society have free admission.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The house is a few minutes' walk south of Heide's market square, next to the Museumsinsel Lüttenheid.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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