Seventy years of Museum Speelklok: music made by machines
The Utrecht museum has been looking back with a photography exhibition since 10 October. Its mechanical musical instruments remain at the heart of the visit.
Museum Speelklok celebrates its seventieth anniversary this autumn. Its history identifies the opening of an exhibition on 18 August 1956 as the official birth of today’s museum. The collection has been housed in the restored Buurkerk since 1984, and it has used the name Museum Speelklok since 2010.
From large barrel organs to tiny music boxes, the museum focuses on machines that make music. The museum says conservators maintain the instruments in the restoration workshop.
The anniversary presentation runs from 10 October 2026 through 3 January 2027. According to the museum, a photography exhibition has been on show since 10 October, recalling moments in the museum’s history. Visitors can see, among other things, how its galleries and collection have changed over seventy years.
For children, the museum highlights the Music Factory, where they can make their own music for a music box. According to the museum’s history, the Buurkerk dates back to around the year 1000.
Museum Speelklok is at Steenweg 6, about a ten-minute walk from Utrecht Centraal station according to the museum. It normally opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. The museum also lists Monday 19 October as an extra opening day during the autumn school holiday.
The museum lists admission at €18.50 for adults, €13.50 for young people aged thirteen to seventeen and €10 for children aged four to twelve. Children aged three and under and Museumkaart holders enter free.