Nationaal Grammofoonmuseum

About the museum

The Nationaal Grammofoonmuseum is housed in the former municipal building of Nieuwleusen, which the foundation Het Grammofoon Museum bought from the municipality of Dalfsen; the council decision to sell dates from December 2020, and the handover took place in 2022. It traces the history of sound recording and music reproduction, from Edison's phonograph of 1877/78 to the digitisation of music around 1980.

The collection includes antique phonographs, acoustic and electric record players, the smallest travelling gramophone in the world and a two-metre-high jukebox from 1908. Around ten thousand shellac records as well as many LPs and singles complement the devices; tape recorders, microphones and professional studio equipment place the gramophones in their historical context. The museum also tells how the gramophone industry flourished after the First World War, how jazz and later rock 'n' roll shaped the world of music, and how analogue recording technology was replaced by digital around 1985.

Visitors can take part in guided tours every day, which provide background on the devices and also include the studio. Groups can book presentations with a demonstration of a phonograph. Concerts and music events are also held in the hall. In 2026 the museum made headlines when it discovered one of the oldest surviving recordings of the Wilhelmus from 1905 with the Royal Military Band.

Highlights

• Phonographs, gramophones and record players from 1877 to around 1980
• Two-metre-high jukebox from 1908 and the world's smallest travelling gramophone
• Around ten thousand shellac records as well as LPs and singles
• Tape recorders, microphones and professional studio equipment
• Guided tours at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. included in the admission price

Permanent exhibition

• Sammlung: Grammophone, Platten und Tonbandgeräte – The exhibition shows phonographs, gramophones, shellac and vinyl records, tape recorders, microphones and studio equipment from around a hundred years.

Operated by

Stichting Het Grammofoon Museum

Admission & discounts

The guided tour is included in admission. For school groups, accompanying persons (€10 per person) and a presentation with a tour for €20 are added.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Fully wheelchair accessible; lift to the upper floor (also for electric wheelchairs). A museum wheelchair can be reserved at reception. Only guide dogs and assistance dogs are permitted.

Kids & families

Children up to and including 12 years are admitted only when accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers

Cloakroom with a limited number of lockers; backpacks are not allowed in the exhibition. Eating and drinking only in designated rooms.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit