Music Boxes
Turn the little handle and there it is: Tulips from Amsterdam. Our Dutch music boxes and musical windmills are small souvenirs from Holland with a melody inside. Choose a hand-cranked music box featuring canal houses, tulips, Van Gogh or Miffy, a cheerful tulip music bag, or a Delft Blue windmill that you wind up and place on the windowsill. The small boxes cost less than ten euros, making them an affordable gift for young and old, and a souvenir you don't just see, but hear.
Buy Dutch music boxes: a souvenir from Holland you can hear
Most souvenirs end up on a shelf or stuck to the fridge. A music box does a little more: you turn the handle and suddenly a tune fills the room that takes you straight back to Holland. Think of the barrel organs in the streets of Amsterdam, the windmills along the polders and the tulip fields in spring. That is exactly the atmosphere we have captured in this collection of music boxes and musical windmills.
De Holland Winkel has been selling Dutch souvenirs since 2002. In this category you will find everything that makes music: from small cardboard music boxes that fit in your coat pocket to Delft Blue windmills and a festive merry-go-round for the display cabinet.
Which music boxes and musical windmills can you choose from?
Hand-cranked boxes with Dutch scenes
Small cardboard music boxes with a metal mechanism and a little handle. Choose from canal houses, yellow and red tulips, the flowers of Keukenhof or the paintings of Vincent van Gogh.
Music bags playing Tulips from Amsterdam
Colourful music bags decorated with red or mixed tulips, playing the best-known Dutch tune of them all. Small, light and always good for a smile.
Delft Blue musical windmills
Delft Blue windmills with a wind-up mechanism, some featuring a kissing couple or a farmer's wife in traditional dress. A decorative souvenir that looks lovely on a windowsill or in a display cabinet.
Miffy and the merry-go-round
Miffy music boxes, including a Delft Blue version, make a sweet gift for little fans and collectors. Looking for something special? The music box shaped like a fairground merry-go-round is a real eye-catcher.
Wind-up or hand-cranked: how a music box works
Every music box relies on the same clever principle: a small metal cylinder set with tiny pins plucks the teeth of a steel comb, and each tooth produces its own note. The first mechanisms based on this idea were made in Switzerland at the end of the eighteenth century, and remarkably little has changed since.
With our small hand-cranked boxes, you set the pace: the faster you turn the handle, the faster the melody. Just like a Dutch barrel organ, only pocket-sized. The musical windmills have a wind-up mechanism: give them a few turns and the windmill plays its tune all by itself.
Who would love a music box as a gift?
A music box is a present people tend to remember. The small boxes are affordable, so it is easy to pick up a few. The musical windmills, on the other hand, are a gift worth properly unwrapping.
- ✓For Dutch expats: one turn of the handle and you hear a little piece of home.
- ✓For visitors to the Netherlands: an original Dutch souvenir that fits in any suitcase.
- ✓For little fans: a Miffy music box makes a lovely gift for a new baby or a young child.
- ✓For Delft Blue lovers: a musical windmill is a decoration and a music box in one.
- ✓For businesses: a surprising giveaway or thank-you for international guests.
Frequently asked questions about music boxes
Which melodies do the music boxes play? +
That depends on the box. Tulips from Amsterdam is a firm favourite, but you will also find classical melodies such as Ode to Joy and pieces by Bach and Beethoven. Each product page tells you which melody that box plays.
What is the difference between a hand-cranked and a wind-up music box? +
A hand-cranked box plays for as long as you turn the handle, at your own pace. A wind-up model, such as our musical windmills, is wound a few times and then plays the melody by itself.
Are music boxes suitable for children? +
Our music boxes are souvenirs and decorations rather than toys. Older children love turning the handle themselves. For the very youngest, a Miffy music box is best placed on a shelf in the nursery, so a parent can play the tune.
Can I have a music box sent abroad? +
Yes. We ship our souvenirs within the Netherlands and worldwide. See our shipping costs page for all destinations.
Can I order music boxes in larger quantities? +
Certainly. Looking for music boxes for an event, a hotel or as a corporate gift? Visit our B2B page or email info@hollandwinkel.nl.
Can I add a personal message? +
Yes, we add a card with your message free of charge. Would you like the gift nicely wrapped? Choose one of our gift wrapping options.
Discover more Dutch souvenirs
Found your favourite music box? Our online shop has thousands of Dutch souvenirs and gifts. Pair your music box with a Delft Blue windmill, a bunch of wooden tulips or a snow globe, for example.