Deutsches Harmonikamuseum

About the museum

The foundation of the Deutsches Harmonikamuseum is the collection that the Hohner company gathered over about a century: instruments of its own production and of competitors, advertising catalogs, posters, and documents. In 1987 the state of Baden-Württemberg acquired the holdings of more than 25,000 objects, and in 1991 the museum opened in Trossingen. It is supported by its own friends' association.

In April 2016 the museum moved to Building V of the Hohner site, that is, to where millions of harmonica instruments were made over decades. Since then it has been accessible without barriers across more than 800 square meters, with bilingual texts in German and English.

The permanent exhibition tells about 200 years of the history of free-reed instruments, from early Viennese concertinas through Hohner's rise to world market leader and the once-significant harmonica industry in Saxony and Thuringia to the industry's crisis and globalization. Separate sections are devoted to manufacturing, marketing and packaging design, and 20th-century accordions. Listening and film stations, pull-out drawers, and a children's level make the tour varied; many more instruments can be seen in the visible storage area.

Highlights

• The world's largest playable button accordion (1953)
• One of the oldest surviving concertinas from Vienna (1829)
• Harmonica "Schwabentreue" hit by a bullet in the First World War
• Listening station with the first musical instrument played in space
• Twelve rotating display cases on harmonica design and packaging
• Visible storage area with hundreds of additional instruments

Permanent exhibitions

• Dauerausstellung: 200 Jahre Harmonikageschichte – About 600 square meters on the history of the harmonica and accordion, the Hohner company history, manufacturing, and marketing, with listening, film, and media stations.
• Schaudepot – Numerous additional harmonicas and hand-pulled instruments from the collection holdings that have no room in the permanent exhibition.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Deutsches Harmonikamuseum Trossingen e.V.

Director

Salvatore Martinelli

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the AlbCard. If you travel by bus and train within the bwtarif, with the Deutschlandticket, or with the D-Ticket JugendBW, you pay the reduced price. Tours after 17:00 carry a 10% surcharge.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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

All museum rooms are reachable without steps.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly

A children's level of its own in the permanent exhibition that can be explored with a puzzle game; listening stations and drawers invite you to try things out. Children under 7 have free admission.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 81, exit Villingen-Schwenningen, and the B 27.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop, also online. For groups with a tour, coffee service can be booked after advance registration, for groups of 40 or more on request in the Hohner-Villa.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit