Accordions Museums

Alfred Mirek’s Russian Accordion Museum, one of the richest and largest of its kind in the world, is located in Moscow, Russia. The museum was created on the basis of a unique collection, gathered by Alfred Mirek (1922-2009), PhD (Art History), Professor, Meritorious Artist of Russia over forty years. This museum existed as a private institution for a long time; enjoying wide popularity in Russia and abroad (listed in ICOM and UNESCO private collections). In 1996, the Moscow City Government allocated a building in the city centre thus laying the foundations of the museum. On January 12^th, 1999 a decree “On the establishment of the Alfred Mirek’s Russian Accordion Museum exercising its rights as a branch of the Museum of History of Moscow”. The first visitors saw the exposition on December 28^th, 2000. Since then the museum has enjoyed wide popularity both among experts and the general public.

The museum’s holdings display the long way the accordion had covered over almost two and a half centuries: from the 1770s up to the present day. Here you can see a restored version of the world’s first accordion (1783), peer into a Russian accordion master’s workshop, dine at a traditional Moscow tavern, and watch performances by contemporary harmonica, bayan and accordion players.

Klingenthal rightfully bears the name of one of the hives of accordion manufacturing. In 1829, the first harmonicas were born here, whereas the first accordions were exported in the 1850s. The region of Klingenthal and Zwota spawned such world-famous accordion workshops as Royal Standard, Barcarole, Horch, Weltmeister, Galotta and Hutschelli.

The museum’s holdings account for over one thousand instruments that arouse amateur and professional interest and are good stuff for research. 

The permanent exposition comprises accordions, mouth organs, Jew’s harps, shengs, and other instruments of the family. At the museum you can learn about the accordion history of development, its impact on society and culture. Special attention is paid to exterior design as a vivid representation of the spirit of a Zeitgeist.

This is a private museum featuring accordions of our forefathers and contemporary performers. It was founded by Jacob and Kirsten Eden. The exposition is divided into sections representing various European countries, including the Kingdom of Denmark. The museum comprises a special interactive zone, where you can play various instruments with your own fingers. The museum’s holdings contain around seven hundred exhibits. 

Established in 1990, the museum is very popular with tourists. It features regular concerts and dancing soirees. The museum’s collection can be evaluated as the largest assembly of fully functioning vintage accordions, counting over one thousand exhibits, the oldest being around one hundred and fifty years old. 

This museum is situated in the town’s main square in the building of the town hall. It was founded by Beniamino Bugiolacchi, a famous accordion historian, who remains the museum’s director. Senor Bugiolacchi is also head of Italcinte, manufacturer of straps and accessories for musical instruments. He used to be the art director of the Castelfidardo International Accordion Festival. The museum collection consists of three hundred and sixty items (some of them being truly unique) from twenty-two countries. The main exposition is complemented by a series of separate collections, such as: musical boxes from the 18th and 19th centuries, Giancarlo Cocito's complete collection of stamps featuring the accordion, an iconographic collection consisting of around six hundred objects and statuettes donated by Armando Bugari and maintained by Beniamino Bugiolacchi, a collection of coins and medals gathered by Giuseppe Mileti, and a very peculiar series of cinema posters.

The museum is named after Mariano Dallapè, inventor of the diatonic accordion. The museum consists of three sections:

1) A documentary area which includes Dallapè's first accordion (1876) as well as a series of photographs of the local personalities involved in the industry and the numerous awards received by Stradella over the years;

2) The detailed reproduction of an artisan’s workshop with original tools surrounding a precious workbench dating back to the nineteenth century. This section includes a display of the various components of the instrument and of the tools used by engravers and tuners;

3) A vast area dedicated to the display of instruments, aimed at presenting the visitor with a complete overview of the evolution of the accordion, from the first 1876 prototype to the present day. 

A World of Accordions Museum was established in 2004 under the Harrington ARTS Center in the building of a former Presbyterian church. Over one thousand exhibits range from the simplest to the most sophisticated instruments, from the most common to truly rare and unique models. The museum’s holdings are a rich resource for research, which attracts experts from all over the world. The museum features a one-thousand-seat concert hall wherein the world’s best players often deliver their performances.

Helmi Harrington, whose mother used to give accordion lessons and to repair the instruments, established the museum. The Harringtons emigrated to the USA from Germany after the Second World War. 

There are over 140 accordions in the museum, with about 100 accordions on display. Some of these accordions date back prior to 1900.

The museum staff are especially proud of a piano accordion on display. This piano accordion, made by Paolo Soprani in 1907, is the first Soprani piano accordion made. 

At the Alex Musical Accordion Museum, there is a fascinating collection of unusual and antique accordions. The display includes NYC's Acme Accordion, from 1941: black with metal pinstripes, suggestive of the Chrysler Building. There's the E. Galizi Bros. model, an angelic ivory body with a gold pearled inlay, circa 1920. Then, there are true relics such as a Soprani accordion from the first line of accordions to ever use a keyboard instead of buttons on the right hand side. There's also the third prototype for the bandoneon, hand made by bandoneon inventor Heinrich Band in the mid-1800s.

The Anconetani family has been in the accordion manufacturing business for over a century. The first Anconetani accordion appeared in 1896. The father then opened a shop and passed his craft onto his offspring.

The museum’s exhibits trace the one-hundred-year evolution of the instrument. The family’s accordions are handmade only, for this is the only way for an accordion to kindle a soul of its own. 

Accordian and Harmonica Museum is the only museum of accordions in the Netherlands, featuring accordions, concertinas, bandonions, and even organs. One of the most amazing exhibits is the Great Fiers (De Grote Fiers), the world’s largest accordion, manufactured in 1928 by Scandalli.

The museum was opened on July 1^st, 2011. The exposition features accordions from fifty-five Czech manufacturers; many exhibits are very rare and unique. Today the museum’s holdings can boast of two hundred and thirty of the most interesting items.

The wish to preserve the great heritage of the historic stages of accordion manufacturing as well as unique instruments fast becoming the rarest collector’s items lead to the establishment of the museum.