GRASSI Museum of Musical Instruments at the University of Leipzig
The search for the perfect sound
The GRASSI Museum is home to Germany’s largest and most exquisite collection of musical instruments and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The chronologically and thematically structured exhibition presents a vibrant impression of the craftsmanship and artistic skills of instrument makers since the 16th century. The exhibition presents a lavish selection of well-known instruments, extraordinary gems and fascinating curiosities.
The museum features some of the world’s last remaining keyboard instruments by the inventor of the piano, Bartolomeo Cristofori. Out of the ten instruments still preserved, the Leipzig collection boast six of them, including the oldest originally preserved fortepiano dating back to 1726.
The study collection comprises 600 more musical instruments categorised by genre, which includes numerous non-European pieces from China and Japan and allows even non-professionals to study and compare them.