Forum der Völker

The Forum der Völker is an ethnographic museum in Werl housing 15,000 artifacts from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Papua New Guinea. The collection reveals how different societies lived and expressed themselves through ordinary objects and cultural practices.

The collection began in 1909 at a Franciscan monastery in Dorsten and relocated to Werl in 1962, expanding ever since. Missionaries and private collectors continuously brought new objects, reflecting the connection between religious work and cultural curiosity.

The collection displays items from daily life in distant cultures: clothing, jewelry, tools, and religious objects reveal how people celebrated and conducted everyday rituals. Through these objects, visitors see how different societies organized their worlds and understood their place in it.

The building features step-free access and is fully accessible by wheelchair, making visits comfortable for all guests. Public transportation connects well to this location, so arriving by bus or train is straightforward.

The holdings include Egyptian mummies and over 170 cuneiform tablets from ancient Mesopotamia, objects of considerable archaeological value. The collection also contains thousands of Chinese coins, with the oldest dating to the 5th century BC, demonstrating the long history of trade and currency in that civilization.

Location: Werl

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

GPS coordinates: 51.55500,7.91475

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:12