Wereldmuseum Leiden

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum traces its origins to ’s Rijks Japansch Museum Von Siebold, founded in 1837, which makes it one of the oldest scientific ethnographic museums in the world. Its core was formed by the objects collected by the physician Philipp Franz von Siebold during his years at the Dutch trading post of Deshima near Nagasaki (1823–1830); they were first displayed on the Rapenburg, in what is now the SieboldHuis.

Renamed ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum in 1864, the museum took over large parts of the dissolved Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden in 1883, as well as objects from the Colonial Exhibition in Amsterdam; the famous Japanese Buddha figures also date from this period. With the transfer of Hindu-Javanese and American holdings from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in 1903 and further acquisitions, the collection soon extended far beyond Japan, China and Indonesia.

Since 1937 the museum has occupied the former Academic Hospital on the Steenstraat. In the 1990s the interior of the building was completely remodeled, the storerooms moved to climate-controlled halls in ’s-Gravenzande, and the entire collection was digitized and put online at an early stage. For a long time the museum was called Museum Volkenkunde.

In 2014 it merged with the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam and the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal to form the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen; since 2023 the museums have operated under the shared name Wereldmuseum. Today the Leiden museum focuses in particular on colonial history, Indigenous perspectives and the question of what an ethnographic museum of the future might look like.

Highlights

• Boeddhazaal (Buddha hall) with Japanese Buddha figures from the 17th and 18th centuries, some cast for the mausoleum of the Tokugawa shoguns
• Philipp Franz von Siebold's Japan collection, the foundation of the museum
• Restored folding screen by Kawahara Keiga showing the Deshima trading post, with the digital “Deshima Experience”
• Dogon masks and a model of the mud mosque of Djenné in the Africa department
• Permanent exhibitions on Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and the polar regions

Permanent exhibitions

• Boeddhazaal – A specially designed room for the bronze Japanese Buddha figures that the museum acquired in 1883.
• Japan en Korea – Lacquerware, armor and other masterpieces on culture and everyday life in Japan and Korea.
• Afrika – Objects from Mali to South Africa, including Dogon sculptures and masks and a model of the mosque of Djenné.

Founded

1837

Operated by

Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

Director

Marieke van Bommel (Algemeen directeur), Wayne Modest (Inhoudelijk directeur)

Admission & discounts

Online tickets are cheaper than at the ticket desk. Free with a Museumkaart (show the physical card or the official app); also free with the VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART, an ICOM card and as a member of the Vereniging Rembrandt. Online you choose a time slot, but the ticket is valid all day. Rebooking by email is possible; no refunds. The Museumkaart is available at the ticket desk.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Step-free building with automatic doors; an elevator at the entrance serves all floors. A few free push wheelchairs. No access with mobility scooters or bicycle trailers. Two free accessible parking spaces at the main entrance; parking on the museum grounds is possible after calling ahead on the day of the visit. Interactive tour for blind and visually impaired visitors with tactile objects, including a Buddha figure that may be touched (€75 per group of up to 15 people). Sensory map (Prikkelplattegrond) to download or at the ticket desk; quiet areas available.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

Under the name Wereldmuseum Junior, activities for children up to age 12: scavenger hunts with “superpowers” and animal bingo, the free-to-borrow audio box “Boxie” for ages 6 to 12, the fantasy installation “De Wilde Bus” for ages 2 to 6, children's yoga on Wednesday mornings and free Sunday activities about festivals from around the world (ages 6 and up). Additional programs during school holidays, children's birthday parties (“Werelddierenfeest”). Strollers can reach all areas by elevator.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A44 (exit 8 Leiden, toward Centrum, Plesmanlaan, Morssingel) or the A4 (exit 7 Zoeterwoude-Dorp/Leiden). Delivery entrance at 1e Binnenvestgracht 33.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Café Abel at the entrance with a terrace on the Singel (breakfast and lunch, Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00, Sat/Sun 10:00–17:00) and a quieter museum café on the first floor (museum opening hours, lunch dishes until 15:00, children's menu), both accessible without a ticket. Museum shop. Lockers for backpacks and bags, not for suitcases.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 125 guests.

Grote zaal (100–125 people in theater seating), Kleine zaal (20–24) and Nooterzaal (16–20) for conferences, presentations, workshops, receptions and dinners; in the evening, the museum can also be rented with a customized program. Inquiries via an online form.

Plan your visit