Wereldmuseum Leiden, National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands
Wereldmuseum Leiden is an ethnology museum in a former academic hospital building in the city, housing one of Europe's oldest collections of world cultures. The collection contains over 450,000 objects and extensive audiovisual materials gathered from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania, displayed across multiple floors.
The museum originated in the early 1800s from a private collection of Japanese artifacts brought together by a German physician, then grew into an institution holding objects from across the globe. Over decades, it was renamed to reflect its broadened focus on world cultures rather than its original narrow scope.
The museum displays religious objects and handcrafted items from many parts of the world, showing how people in different cultures live and express their beliefs. Visitors can see how human ways of marking important moments or difficult times both mirror and differ from one another.
The museum welcomes visitors from Tuesday through Sunday and is easily reached on foot or by bicycle when moving around the city. The exhibition areas span multiple levels, so wearing comfortable shoes and allowing plenty of time to explore is a good idea.
Inside one of the upper galleries stands a rare Chinese burial structure that is the only one of its type anywhere in Europe, revealing how death and remembrance were honored in that tradition. Few visitors notice this hidden centerpiece when passing through the museum.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
