Long Night of Museums – Pindigiland: Pinball to the great songs of Elton John

In 2024, Pindigiland will celebrate its 20th anniversary. In 1976, when Günter Freenberger was an apprentice, he bought his first (defective) music box from a hostel in Sos for 3,200 shillings (about 250 euros).

He restored an AMI J 200 music box from 1959, which can be viewed and heard in Pindigiland and is now valued at around €6,500. Over time, 50 more music boxes were added. In addition to jukeboxes, the master radio and television technician is particularly fond of pinball machines. Freinberger has a “global” collection that impresses not only for its quantity (472 machines), but also for its quality and rarity.

Exhibits from 1930 onwards can be found in Pindigiland and in the “small branch” of the Steakhouse Leonhofen. 250- and up to 140-year-old exhibits from the Pindigiland Ruprechtshofen can also be viewed at the “Terratechnica” in Kleinhaugsdorf.

The repair shop has many requests

At the Long Night of Museums, in addition to the Elton John musical pinball machine, you can also see other rarities such as a limited platinum edition Beatles Pinball machine (costs 17,000 euros), Beatles Peppers Jukebox No. 63 equipped with rare Beatles records, and a limited edition Batman -Pinball with Prince music, Toystories Pinball machine and Woodstock bus.

The last one was in 2010 at the “Sixties” exhibition. The Beatles, the Pill and the Revolution” in Schalaburg. “We had 92 visitors on Saturday, which is an increase on the previous year, and the mood was very good,” said Freenberger. The Elton John pinball machine and the Toystories pinball machine were particularly popular.

Together with Englishman Gary Blenkinsop, Pindigiland's sole employee, Freinberger also runs a pinball and jukebox repair shop, which is very popular among enthusiasts and collectors. “Due to the floods three weeks ago, which flooded many basements, we currently have a lot of orders,” he says.