Description of the attraction
Home to Switzerland's largest collection of musical instruments, the Lonhof building at Barfüsserplatz in Basel's medieval center has an interesting history. It is part of the complex, the oldest premises of which date back to the time of the existence of the Augustinian monastery of St. Leonard. The historical ensemble also includes the Church of St. Leonard, built in the second half of the 11th century. Despite serious damage to the monastery during a massive earthquake in 1356, it was carefully restored. However, the war and famine of the 1440s brought the monastery into decline, from which it recovered only towards the end of the century, and in 1529 the Reformation put an end to the existence of the monastery, and the Church of St. Leonard became one of the 4 parish churches in Basel, in which the life of the reformed was raging. faith.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was used by the municipality as a place where workers were paid wages (German: Lohn), hence the name Lohnhof (Lohnhof, or "yard where wages are paid"). After, until 1995, Longhof was a prison, and now is the location of the Basel Musical Museum.
The exhibition contains about 650 different musical instruments that have been used for playing music over five centuries, and is located in 24 former prison cells on three floors. Visitors can choose from over 200 musical samples using the on-screen interactive program to get an idea of the sound of the instruments on display. The exhibition is structured in accordance with the main themes of the development of European musical history and, thanks to this, in the best possible way illuminates each of its stages in a musical and social context.
