Museum Speelklok — Attraction in Utrecht

The Museum Speelklok in Utrecht offers a truly unique and fascinating experience that combines music, engineering, automation, and human craftsmanship. The museum features an impressive collection of self-playing musical instruments, including clocks, organs, and other mechanical instruments that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Upon arriving at the museum, I was immediately struck by the intricate details and craftsmanship that went into creating these incredible instruments. The museum's collection includes some of the most beautiful and complex mechanical instruments I have ever seen, with intricate carvings, ornate details, and intriguing mechanisms that are sure to captivate visitors of all ages.

To truly appreciate the museum's collection and fully understand the history and significance of these instruments, I highly recommend taking a guided tour. The tour guides are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and passionate about the museum's collection, and they provide a wealth of information about the history of the instruments, their creators, and the context in which they were created.

One of the things that surprised me the most was the variety of instruments and music pieces that the museum has to offer. The guided tour takes visitors through various periods and styles of music, showcasing a wide range of instruments and musical styles. From classical music to folk tunes, the museum's collection has something for everyone.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that the different tour guides have their own preferences when it comes to instruments and music pieces. This means that even if you take multiple tours, you're likely to hear different instruments and music pieces each time, providing a unique experience every time you visit.

Overall, the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht is a must-visit attraction for anyone interested in music, history, engineering, or automation. The guided tours are engaging, informative, and entertaining, and the museum's collection is truly one-of-a-kind. Whether you're a local or a tourist, this museum is a great place to spend an afternoon exploring and learning about a fascinating...

İ used to work at this museum and although the museum itself and their collection is lovely, the manager who works there is not. As employees we were constantly watched through the security cameras and when we were chatting with each other when there were no customers (the museum was never very busy), the manager would call to tell us we needed to stop talking with each other. The manager also had some anger management issues, even yelling at me for leaving my desk in front of two children that I was escorting to a place they needed to be at.. The manager also yelled at a friend of mine who came to the museumcafe to work quietly (there were often people there working on laptops or just sitting with a cup of tea) because she was supposedly keeping me from my work, which was completely untrue. Unfortunately, the museum put my complaint about his behaviour down as a 'clash of personalities'. İ believe that it is important to treat employees well, therefore İ wanted to share this...

This was such a cool museum, especially for music lovers who enjoy the more unique aspects of musical instruments / machines! It definitely stands out since it is such a specific, quirky type of subject, and this was a perfect way to end my stay in the Netherlands after frequenting more traditional museums. It definitely shows that craving to have music in every shape, way, and form. The guided tour was fabulous. I thank my tour guide at noon on August 10, 2025, who translated to English only for me at first!). He also had a great dry sense of humor. After the tour, I walked around more and read many of the placards. It's amazing to see what people could do technologically speaking...all for the benefit of bringing great spirit and music into this world. It's beautiful to think that even though the creators of these mechanisms are long gone, they seem to come back to life every time a tune from their...