Organeum
A museum you can hear, in an 1873 villa in Weener: playable historic organs, harpsichords, clavichords and harmoniums, presented on guided tours.
About the museum
The Organeum goes back to an initiative by the organist and organ scholar Harald Vogel, who for decades, as state church music director of the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche (Evangelical Reformed Church), championed the historic organs of East Frisia and also coined the name – a combination of the Greek word for tool or instrument and the ending used for a place of learning. In the mid-1990s the town of Weener acquired a villa near the Georgskirche and had it restored with funds from the state and the EU; the Organeum was founded in 1997.
The building itself is a gem: built between 1870 and 1873, the grand town villa combines English-style neo-Gothic forms with a Dutch-influenced floor plan, a light-flooded stairwell with a cast-iron staircase and elaborate stucco ceilings. It is one of the few buildings of its kind in the region to have survived largely unchanged.
Since 2006 the Ostfriesland-Stiftung of the Ostfriesische Landschaft, the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche and the town of Weener have jointly run the institution as the Orgelakademie Ostfriesland (East Frisian Organ Academy). Under director Winfried Dahlke the collection was considerably expanded and today comprises around two dozen playable keyboard instruments from the Renaissance to the late Romantic period – originals as well as replicas, including an East Frisian cabinet organ from 1790 and a harpsichord from 1741. In addition to guided tours, the Organeum organizes concert series and organ excursions through East Frisia's rich organ landscape, training courses for organists and free programs for school classes.
Highlights
- Around two dozen playable historic keyboard instruments
- East Frisian cabinet organ from 1790 and harpsichord from 1741
- Musical guided tours with East Frisian tea
- Listed town villa from 1873 with garden
- Can be combined with the Arp Schnitger organ in the neighboring Georgskirche
Permanent exhibitions
- Sammlung historischer Tasteninstrumente – Playable organs, harpsichords, clavichords, square pianos and harmoniums from the Renaissance to the late Romantic period, which are played during guided tours.
- Founded
- 1997
- Operated by
- Ostfriesland-Stiftung der Ostfriesischen Landschaft, Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche und Stadt Weener (Ems)
- Director
- Winfried Dahlke
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups | –Group tours and packages (tea service, presentation of the Arp Schnitger organ, lunch) by arrangement; prices on request. |
|---|
Public guided tours are free; donations are welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Parking at the Organeum and on Burgstraße; a bus parking lot is also located there.
Amenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
East Frisian tea at the start of the public guided tour; tea table for groups can be booked.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Weddings / ceremonies
Wedding room overlooking the garden for civil ceremonies; group packages with tea service by arrangement.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
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| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Musical guided tour by Ludolf Heikens with demonstrations on selected instruments; registration by phone at 04951 912203 appreciated. Free school programs (“Orgel im Klassenzimmer” for elementary schools). Concert series on the first Sunday of the month on the Arp Schnitger organ in the Georgskirche. |
