Berlin Musical Instrument Museum

Berlin's Musical Instruments Museum holds about 3,600 instruments from five centuries and ranks among the largest collections of its kind in Europe. It belongs to the State Institute for Music Research and stands at the Kulturforum next door to the Philharmonic Hall, in a glass pavilion built by Edgar Wisniewski to plans by Hans Scharoun. Its star pieces include a harpsichord once owned by Frederick the Great, a playable collection of 18th-century fortepianos and the Mighty Wurlitzer cinema organ of 1929, still used at silent-film screenings. Guided tours include short live demonstrations, so visitors can hear the difference between a baroque harpsichord and a modern grand piano. The museum is a quiet gem alongside Berlin's larger institutions.