Musical Instrument Museum

This fascinating venue gives groups the opportunity to perform in the magnificient concert hall on the top floor of the museum.

Rue Montagne de la Cour 2,

Brussels
1000

Website: http://www.mim.fgov.be

Music

Known as MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum would be worth seeing even if it were empty, since it''s housed in the beautiful Art Nouveau former Old England department store—and has a fantastic restaurant on the top floor. If you''ve ever been curious to know what a gamelan or Tibetan temple bell sounds like, here''s your chance. In addition to seeing the more than 1,500 instruments on display, you can listen to them via infrared headphones; you can hear musical extracts from almost every instrument as you stand in front of it. The 200 extracts range from ancient Greek tunes to mid-20th century pieces. Paintings and ancient vases depicting the instruments being played throughout history complete the experience. The four-story museum features a complete 17th-century orchestra, a precious 1619 spinet-harpsichord (only two such instruments exist), an armonica, a rare Chedeville bagpipe, and about 100 Indian instruments given to King Leopold II by the rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore. There''s a rich selection of European folk instruments, as well as creations by the amazingly prolific Adolphe Sax. The Belgian inventor was best known for the saxophone but dreamed up dozens of wind instruments. In the basement, the Garden of Orpheus is set up for children to discover musical instruments