[2] Among the instruments on display are music boxes, musical clocks, pianolas, barrel organs (including the typically Dutch large street organs) and a turret clock with a carillon, most of which are still able to play for visitors.

The museum had its origins in an exhibition of mechanical organs and other musical automata in Utrecht in the summer of 1956.

The great success of this led to the creation of a permanent national museum dedicated to mechanical musical instruments.

Since 1984 the museum's has been housed in the central medieval Buurkerk (citizens' church) and was officially opened by Queen Beatrix.

Molin's retired Marble Machine was transported to Museum Speelklok as a temporary attraction in Summer 2017.