Völkerkunde-Museum der J. und E. v. Portheim-Stiftung, Ethnographic museum in Heidelberg, Germany.
The Volkerkundemuseum der J. und E. v. Portheim-Stiftung is an ethnographic museum in Heidelberg housing a collection of over 40,000 artifacts, photographs, and documents representing cultures from Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The institution presents these diverse holdings in a systematic way, allowing visitors to explore objects from different origins and time periods.
The museum was founded in 1919 when Victor Goldschmidt established the Josefine and Eduard von Portheim Foundation for Science and Art. This founding made it possible to assemble a collection of non-European objects and make them available to the public.
The exhibitions display religious objects, artistic works, and everyday items that show how different societies across multiple continents shaped their traditions. Visitors can directly observe how people in various regions lived and expressed their beliefs through the things they made and used.
The museum is located in Palais Weimar on Hauptstrasse and is open on weekdays and weekends. When visiting, you should allow enough time to explore the extensive collection at a leisurely pace.
A magnolia tree grows in the museum garden and is legally protected as a natural monument, making it a rare plant for the region. Visitors typically notice this tree immediately when they leave the exhibition space, and it provides a quiet botanical element to the visit.
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