National Museum in Poznań – Museum of Musical Instruments

ABOUT THIS COLLECTION

Founded in 1945, the Museum of Musical Instruments in Poznań is the only independent museum of its kind in Poland and a branch of the National Museum in Poznań. Its world-class collection of more than 2,000 instruments spans Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The museum’s exhibitions explore the history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance of instruments across centuries and continents.

The National Museum in Poznań is one of Poland’s most important cultural institutions, and its branch, the Museum of Musical Instruments, houses one of the largest and most diverse collections of instruments in Europe. With holdings of several thousand items from across continents, the museum features European professional and folk instruments as well as non-European treasures.

The flute family is particularly well represented, ranging from historical European flutes and recorders to folk flutes and global transverse flutes. These instruments illustrate both the artistry of craftsmanship and the evolution of performance practice over centuries. The museum not only preserves the instruments but also documents their cultural and historical significance, offering exhibitions, research access, and publications that connect music lovers, historians, and collectors worldwide.

Flute Highlights:

Baroque and Classical traversos in boxwood and ivory from 18th- and early 19th-century European makers.

Early recorders and flageolets illustrating the evolution of woodwinds.

Rich collection of Polish folk flutes (fujarki, ocarinas) alongside panpipes from South America.

Global bamboo and whistle flutes from Asia and Africa.