When can MusicWorlds be visited?

The exhibition is open on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. The regular opening hours of the Museum of World Cultures are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What is the admission fee for MusicWorlds?

The regular admission for adults is 9 euros. Reduced tickets cost 7 euros, and children and young people aged 6 to 18 are charged 5 euros.

Are there offers for school classes?

Yes. For school classes and daycare groups, bookable guided tours as well as tours with workshops are available. Registration is required.

What content can visitors expect?

The exhibition features instruments and objects from various epochs and regions. Topics include music as communication, music and religious concepts, and comparisons of different musical cultures.

Is the exhibition suitable for families?

Yes. Families can purchase a family ticket for two adults with children or youths up to 18 years for the price of 18 euros.

Are there parking facilities nearby?

There is an underground parking garage beneath the Museum of World Cultures of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums.

Discover MusicWorlds: Sound, cultures, and fascinating instruments at the Museum of World Cultures Mannheim

Name: MusicWorlds
Start: 2026-10-24T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-24T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Museum Weltkulturen D5

MusicWorlds: A sensory journey through sound, culture, and time

The exhibition MusicWorlds at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums opens an atmospheric access to the universal phenomenon of music. Between pre-Columbian whistle vessels, fire dance masks from Papua New Guinea, and a fully analog recording studio from the 1980s, different epochs, regions, and forms of musical expression meet.

When sound becomes visible

The exhibition connects cultural history, music ethnology, and museum staging. Colors, shapes, and materials of the instruments tell of religious concepts, social relationships, movement, and transformation. In the examination of the works, it becomes clear that music is much more than an acoustic event: it creates community, accompanies rituals, and shapes both individual and collective memory.

Instruments as testimonies of cultural diversity

The foundation of the presentation is the significant collection of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums, consisting of more than 1,600 European and non-European musical instruments. This includes the largest collection of pre-Columbian musical instruments outside the American continent. The objects reveal music as a cultural practice and as an expression of human creativity across continents and centuries.

Sonic experiences between tradition and modernity

An audio guide makes the exhibition immediately tangible through surprising sound experiences. Music from Africa, India, the Far East, and pre-Columbian America interacts with familiar sound worlds from rock, pop, and classical. This creates an aesthetic experience that expands listening habits and conveys cultural connections in an illustrative way.

Cultural education in the museum

For school classes and educational groups, the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums offer bookable guided tours and workshops. Topics such as music and religion, music as communication, and the comparison of various musical cultures combine expert classification with active engagement. In a workshop, participants can learn about sound whistle vessels and the Indonesian bamboo instrument Angklung, among other things.

Conclusion: Music as a shared human heritage

MusicWorlds promises an intense art experience between object history, sound, and cultural education. The exhibition makes visible and audible how people around the world communicate, celebrate, remember, and create community through music. A visit to the Museum of World Cultures enriches the aesthetic experience and invites one to rediscover their perception of sound.