Music Museums in Germany

Brahmshaus Hof, Bronzeportrait von Manfred Sihle-Wissel

Brahmshaus Heide, Seitenansicht, Foto: Guballa

Brahms House Heide

Lüttenheid 34
D-25746 Heide

Phone +49.481.63186 or +49.481.6837162

Web: www.brahms-sh.de

Opening hours

April to October:

Tuesday until Thursday

11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturdays 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

closed from November to March

On a plate under the pointed gable on the front section, the visitor finds the reference to the family of Johannes Brahms, which owned the house from 1819 to 1887.
In 1988, the Brahms Society of Schleswig-Holstein acquired the Brahms house in Heide, the native town of the father, Johann Jacob Brahms (1807 – 1872), and a year later began the remodelling. It was committed to its new purpose in 1990. It developed into a center of cultural attraction very rapidly.

A constantly growing flock of visitors is drawn through the exhibition “Johannes Brahms/North German Roots and Ties – Important Friends and Acquaintances.” Illustrations and explanatory texts provide information on the composer's Heide ancestors, his friendship with the poet Klaus Groth from Dithmarschen, and trace the important stages in his life by means of many exhibits.

Here in the Brahms House, concerts, lectures, and courses take place as well as the annual planning for the Brahms Weeks and for the awarding of the by now highly-renowned Brahms Prize.

Germany possesses musical traditions and legacies of extraordinary value: Handel, Schuetz and Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner - to mention only a few names - are composers who are known and treasured throughout the world. Their work has played a significant role in shaping a unique musical landscape.

Numerous orchestras, choruses, ensembles, renowned music festivals and series, music houses with museums, public archives and libraries, but also private collections preserve their musical heritage.

It is necessary to revitalize this inestimable fund again and again and to develop it for the present. At the same time, an important role befits the houses combined in the consortium of music museums of Germany. In them we encounter the work of the musicians and composers who have extraordinarily enriched the cultural nation of Germany. However, beyond the individual portrait, beyond the procurement of individual oeuvres, the music museums also contribute overall to the maintenance of musical tradition. The present brochure underscores this aspect of the synoptic presentation and invites the reader on a journey into the musical history of Germany. I hope this tour guide will be actively used and receive a large response.

Bernd Neumann, Member of the Lower House of the German Parliament
Minister of State with the Federal Chancellor
Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media

Quoted from: Foreword to the brochure "Music Museums in Germany", 2007.