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We sailed from Mainz, Germany at 5:00 AM arriving in Rüdesheim around 8:00 AM. Following breakfast, we boarded the mini City Train for the short ride to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum. Our Cruise Director told us this would be one of our favorite excursions, and he was correct.
Self-Playing Instruments
The "Siegfried Mechanisches Musikkabinett" is the first museum collection in Germany dedicated to self-playing musical instruments. From delicate musical boxes to a gigantic piano-orchestration, there are approximately 350 automatic instruments exhibiting one of the largest and finest collections from the 18th to the 20th century. The museum also includes tools and machines for manufacturing barrel organs, cardboard music, piano rolls and musical box plates.
A few of the highlights on the 45 minute guided include:
- A snuff box with a musical songbird which was produced in the first half of the 19th Century by J. Bruguier in Geneva. When the mechanism is activated, it opens the oval lid and a tiny bird appears, moving its beak and flapping its wings.
- Bernhard Dufner’s band of 27 automatic dolls, each one playing a different instrument. This is the largest Doll Automaton calliope that was ever built.
- The Hupfeld phono Liszt Violina are amazing mechanical violins. Because these instruments musically and technically surpassed all expectations they have been described as the eighth wonder of the world.
Rhine & Moselle River Cruise
Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page
Rudesheim - Siegfried's Museum
Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.
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