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The modern (by 1970's standards) Musikinstrumenten Museum in the Tiergarten district of Berlin houses around 600 exhibits (out of a total of about 3000 items) that span over 500 years of musical history. The museum building is at the Kulturforum and just a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate.
The oldest pieces of the museum are from an 1888 collection of ancient instruments started by the Prussian State. In 1935 the collection was integrated into the State Institute for German Musical Research, an institution which brought together the Historical Department (started in 1917) and the Musikinstrumenten Museum, which moved in 1936 from its former home in Fasanenstrasse (in the district of Charlottenburg) to the Palais Kreutz in Klosterstrasse.
Some of the exhibits at the Musikinstrumenten Museum are "German-centric," meaning the emphasis is on German/Germanic builders, musicians, and companies. The notable exceptions are the 6 Ruckers harpsichords on display (Antwerp, Belgium), all in various stages of repair/restoration/rebuilding. They are all beautiful. What makes the museum's collection so unique, besides the "German-centric" theme, is the ages covered. Some instruments were built as early as the 1500s, and some are from the 20th century, up to and including synthesizers and a computer-run Synclavier. For a quick, well-rounded history of musical instruments from Medieval times to the present, the Musikinstrumenten Museum is the place to go.
The Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday fom 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Thursday from 9:00am to 10:00pm (with free admission after 6:00pm). Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, it is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm. It is closed, like all museums in Berlin, on Mondays.)