This is a wonderful little museum. Alan found it on one of the maps and we took a rattletrap taxi over. There is no street level signage that we could see, so when the driver told us we were there, pointing to the Metro station, we were puzzled. He did what so many do when there's a language barrier and they're not understood, repeated what he said, only more loudly and w/ gestures. Bemused, we exited the taxi and walked into the nearby hospital where we asked at the information desk. The woman there explained that the museum was down in the Metro station. We went down the stairs to the station level and somehow found a sign to the museum in another corridor. Signage could definitely be improved.
We walked in to the museum and a very helpful young woman at the reception desk greeted us. Admission to the museum is €3, half price for seniors. Alan offered a €20 bill but she didn't have change that early in the day, so he used a card. She explained they were reorganizing the permanent collection, so not all the labels would be accurate. She loaned us a book in English about the museum and its collection. Alan took it first to look over and then handed it over to me. The music of Duke Ellington was playing overhead, which was lovely. The museum was opened in 1994 as a collective effort by several organizations, including the Metro. Very creative. The collection includes many stringed instruments, some conventional, some strange hybrids. Many were old, some modern. There are also a variety of brass and woodwind instruments of various sizes and vintages and keyboard instruments ranging from pianos to harpsichords to organs to accordions and bandonions. There were a small number of percussion instruments and a full drum kit set up. It was a pleasure to wander through and admire the beauty of all the instruments. There were paintings of musicians and a bit of religious art. A man kept a watchful eye on us, whether to keep us from stealing the book or to make sure we didn't play the drum kit or do something else unacceptable, I'm not sure. He was a bit of a creepy presence, not responding to any of Alan's attempts at contact. Aside from that, the museum was a complete pleasure and we were glad we went. It's a concert venue as well. There will be a concert there tonight. read more