Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-Haus

About the museum

The corner house on Große Klausstraße dates back to a half-timbered building from the mid-16th century; a painted plank-paneled room in the Renaissance wing is dated 1554. The part facing the Saale River was torn down in 1834 because it had become structurally unsound, and in 1874 the Renaissance wing gained an additional story.

The house owes its name to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784), the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. From 1746 he served as organist at the Marktkirche and as municipal music director in Halle, and he lived in this building from 1763 at the latest, before leaving the city in 1770. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the house was home to shops, a restaurant, and craft workshops, among other things, but fell into disrepair over decades.

After initial repairs in the late 1980s, the housing company Hallesche Wohnungsgesellschaft comprehensively restored the listed building from 2009 to 2012. On May 30, 2012, the Stiftung Händel-Haus opened the permanent exhibition "Musikstadt Halle" here. It presents composers connected with the city – from Samuel Scheidt and George Frideric Handel to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Carl Loewe, and Robert Franz – and places them in the society of their time. Two rooms are devoted to domestic music-making in Halle.

Highlights

• Painted Renaissance plank-paneled room from 1554
• Portraits of six composers of the music city of Halle, with listening stations
• Robert Franz's salon with his original grand piano
• Renaissance instruments such as a virginal, theorbo, and viola da gamba
• Large city map showing Halle's sites of music history

Permanent exhibitions

• Musikstadt Halle – A tour through Halle's music history based on six composers, with first editions, facsimiles, historical instruments, and listening stations, plus two rooms on domestic music-making.

Founded

2012

Operated by

Stiftung Händel-Haus

Admission & discounts

Single tickets are only available on site at the Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-Haus. Combination tickets have been at the current prices since September 1, 2026 (previously €8.50, reduced €6.50, family €17).

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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