Do you know what the "Hurdy-Gurdy-Girls" are all about?

Have you ever heard of a violin factory?

Or were you aware that there are flutes made of human bones?

Answers to such questions can be found in a special exhibition house in a small town in the Wetterau: the Lißberg Musical Instrument Museum.

Lißberg is a district of Ortenberg, is celebrating its 800th birthday this year and had city rights for many years.

The people of Lißberg are proud of their musical instrument museum, which bears the title "world's largest hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe museum".

Kurt Reichmann from Frankfurt collected most of the exhibits.

The designer was himself a hurdy-gurdy maker and indulged his love for the instrument with a great passion for collecting.

Many fascinating exhibits

Visitors who enter the small house between the church and the castle now benefit from this.

Somewhat cramped there are many fascinating exhibits, some of which are hidden behind glass.

But not only hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes from many eras are shown, the young visitors can also try out such fun instruments as the nose whistle, the humming pot or a Vietnamese bamboo xylophone.

Adults can delve into the tragic story of the Hurdy-Gurdy Girls.

These so-called "hurdy-gurdy whores" emigrated to America in the 19th century to escape the poverty in their Hessian homeland.

Once abroad, however, the women ended up in the saloons and brothels of California.

Another special feature in the museum is the violin work:

The "Nürmbergisches Geigenwerck" is the only playable example of this harpsichord-like keyboard instrument.

Also on display is a flute made from human bones.

She is from Tibet.

Unfortunately, the musical instrument museum is rarely open.

It can be visited between the beginning of April and the end of October on the second and fourth Sunday of the month between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The next opportunity is this Sunday, September 25th.

Adults pay four euros admission, children from six to 14 years one euro, younger children can frolic in the world of bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy free of charge.

Individual tours of the museum can be arranged with Claudia Gottschalk on 0 60 46 / 9 58 49 68.