Trade, crafts & music

From the middle of the 19th century, Italians were drawn from the northern Italian mountains into the world. Around 14 million people left their homes between 1861 and 1914 in search of better living and working conditions. One goal was the growing metropolis of Berlin, where the settlement of Italians was concentrated on Prenzlauer Berg.

POSTER Musica di strada - Italiener*innen in Prenzlauer Berg - Handel, Handwerk & Musik

With their special craftsmanship and professions, they shaped the district for decades. The company Cocchi, Bacigalupo & Graffigna from Schönhauser Allee became world famous with the production of barrel organs and orchestrions.

In the exhibition, some of them are shown alongside other mechanical musical instruments. As part of the multi-year modernization and renovation of the Märkisches Museum, this unique collection from the Berlin City Museum is being loaned to the Pankow Museum.

The exhibition combines the settlement and migration history of the Italians with the history of mechanical music.

Regular demonstrations bring the history of the instruments to life. The exhibition is complemented by an extensive accompanying program with events for children and school classes, music events, cinema series, city rallies and guided tours.

An exhibition from the Pankow Museum. In cooperation with the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin. Funded by the Lotto Foundation Berlin and the District Culture Fund.

Supported by the International Barrel Organ Friends Berlin e.V.

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