The museum was founded more than a hundred years ago, in 1904, and its collection includes 65 thousand items. Of course, it is impossible to display all of them at once, so the exhibitions change regularly.
It is located on the famous Museumsufer, which got its name because of the high concentration of various museums and galleries along a relatively small stretch of the southern bank of the Main River between the Eiserner Steg pedestrian bridge and the Friedensbrücke bridge in the Sachsenhausen district.
Until 2001, the Museum of World Cultures was called the Museum of Ethnology and, after changing its name, it largely preserved its original focus. Literally, ethnology translates as “the study of peoples.” This field studies everyday life, the particularities of historical interaction, and culture. Ethnologists are interested in household items, folk costumes, children's toys, and tools, as well as descriptive elements of daily life: audio and video materials, photographs, and diaries.
The exhibits in Frankfurt am Main's ethnological collection are items from all over the world. Europe, Asia, America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania – the cultures of all continents and countries are richly represented here. In addition, one of the museum's buildings displays contemporary art from India, Indonesia, and Africa.
