Deutsches Schallplattenmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

For decades, Nortorf was a "record town": after World War II, TELEFUNKEN began producing shellac records here on converted presses together with a local leather factory. The partnership with the British company DECCA gave rise to TELDEC in 1950, which pressed some 850 million records in Nortorf until 1987 and developed processes such as Direct Metal Mastering. After the takeover by a US corporation, production was gradually wound down; in 2014 the factory halls were demolished except for the administration building and the boiler house.

The museum association, founded in 1989, initially presented the history of the record in a small building on Jungfernstieg. In 2014 the town acquired part of the boiler house to set up a larger museum there; after political debates, a citizens' referendum, and a funding commitment from the state, conversion work began in October 2021. The Deutsches Schallplattenmuseum (German Record Museum) opened on October 1, 2022, with around 800 square meters of exhibition space on three levels.

The core of the collection is some 200,000 records, mainly from the archives of the NDR broadcasting centers in Kiel and Hamburg. In addition, there are heavy pressing machines, phonographs, jukeboxes, radios, and modern hi-fi systems, as well as films about the manufacturing process. One section is devoted to the Kiel manufacturer ELAC, which worked closely with TELDEC. Donations from private collectors, for example on David Bowie or the Shadows and Cliff Richard, expand the holdings; concerts and special event days also make the museum a venue.

Highlights

• Around 200,000 records, mainly from the NDR archives
• Historical pressing machines from Nortorf's record production
• Edison phonograph and early sound carriers
• Jukeboxes, radios, and hi-fi technology
• ELAC exhibition on Kiel audio technology
• The boiler house, an industrial monument with a factory clock shaped like a record

Permanent exhibitions

• Erlebniswelt Musik – Geschichte und Herstellung der Schallplatte – Permanent exhibition on three levels about sound recording and record production, from the phonograph and shellac to hi-fi technology, with pressing machines from TELDEC.
• ELAC-Ausstellung – Section redesigned by ELAC on the history of the Kiel audio manufacturer and its connection to record production in Nortorf.

Operated by

Deutsches Schallplattenmuseum e.V.

Admission & discounts

Free admission for members of the museum association, holders of the Museumsverband Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg ID card, and with a valid press card.

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 describes itself as accessible; no further details (elevator, restrooms) are given.

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop. The museum also serves as an event venue, including for concerts.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit