Museum für Uhren und mechanische Musikinstrumente, Technology museum in Oberhofen am Thunersee, Switzerland.

The Museum für Uhren und mechanische Musikinstrumente occupies the manor house of the Wichterheer estate, built in 1518 and later altered, on the shore of Lake Thun. Its collection fills eight historic rooms on the ground floor and in the cellar, showing tower, wall and pendulum clocks, pocket and wristwatches, barrel organs, orchestrions, music boxes and electric pianos, plus Flötenuhren that combine clock and music. A clockmaker's workshop with antique benches, machines and tools is also on view.

The manor house was built in 1518 and belonged to the Wichterheer estate, a former wine estate held by Bernese families from the 13th century until 1948. After five years of preparation, the museum opened in 1995, drawing its core from the private collections of Hans-Peter Hertig (clocks) and Kurt Matter (mechanical music).

The collection reveals how mechanical craftsmanship shaped Swiss identity and the role these devices played in people's lives across different eras. You see techniques that craftsmen perfected and passed down through generations.

The museum is open May through October, Tuesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 17:00, with guided tours available by reservation outside regular hours. Visitors should expect stairs and uneven floors in the older rooms, so comfortable shoes are a good idea.

During guided demonstrations, visitors hear antique mechanical instruments playing live, revealing sounds that bring these machines to life in a way still photographs cannot capture. This sensory experience shows how ingenious the engineering actually was.