Fredy's mechanisches Musikmuseum
Private museum in a manufacturer's villa with mechanical musical instruments, from music boxes to orchestrions, which play during the guided tour.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Toggenburg native Fredy Künzle began collecting as a child. At the age of ten he received his first horn gramophone; later, music boxes and an electric piano were added. He acquired the knowledge needed to bring mechanical and pneumatic instruments back to playing partly from old experts, but mainly through his own practice. On July 1, 1976, he opened his mechanical music salon in the hall of the Lichtensteig restaurant “zur Hoffnung.”
Because the old building offered too little space, Künzle bought a manufacturer's villa on Bürgistrasse in 1978. Since then, the mechanical music museum has been housed there; according to the museum, it is the first museum in German-speaking Switzerland dedicated to mechanical musical instruments. In 1996, Künzle received the Cultural Prize of the canton of St. Gallen for this work.
The collection includes instruments from about 1780 to 1946: small music boxes, disc-playing automatons, orchestrions, barrel organs and carousel organs, grand pianos with the Welte-Mignon system, and self-playing violins. The tour concludes with a Belgian dance organ in the music cellar. Today, Künzle's daughters Nadja Haab and Eliane Lepri continue to run the museum.
Highlights
- Mechanical musical instruments from about 1780 to 1946
- Orchestrion “Weber Maestro,” the largest jazz-band machine in the museum
- “Phonoliszt-Violina” with three self-playing violins and piano accompaniment
- Disc-playing automaton “Polyphon” and grand piano with the Welte-Mignon system
- Music boxes, barrel organs and carousel organs
- Belgian dance organ “De Cap” to conclude the tour
Permanent exhibition
- Mechanische Musikinstrumente – Music boxes, disc-playing automatons, orchestrions, barrel organs and carousel organs from three centuries, demonstrated during the tour.
- Founded
- 1976
- Operated by
- Privatmuseum (Nadja Haab und Eliane Lepri)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | CHF 14 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | CHF 9Children |
| Groups (12+ people) | CHF 14 per personGroups of 12 or more adults, per person; from 15 people CHF 13, from 30 people CHF 12, from 45 people CHF 11 |
| Children's groups from 20 children | CHF 8per child; from 30 children CHF 7, from 45 children CHF 6 |
The museum can only be visited with a guided tour; admission includes the tour.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
Shop with music CDs, books, specialist literature and souvenir music boxes. Bistro and refreshments (apéro, meals) for groups by advance registration.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
After a guided tour, an apéro can be held in the party room; the room can also be rented for parties and banquets. Apéros are billed according to effort.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The museum can only be visited with a guided tour; questions and reservations by email or phone. The tour ends with a piece played on the dance organ in the music cellar. |
