Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

The Ethnological Museum

The Ethnological Museum, located in Berlin-Dahlem, collects, preserves and exhibits arts and cultures of the world. With more than 500,000 objects from around the world the Ethnological Museum is one of largest museums of its kind. The museum belongs to the National Museum of Berlin and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Musical Instrument Collection

Today, the museum houses approximately 7000 musical instruments from all continents. Many of which were already present when Erich M. Hornbostel and Curt Sachs developed their famous classification system, published originally in 1914, drawing mainly on the collection of Ethnological Museum.

Music Archive: Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv

The museum is also known for its music archive. The museum houses the Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv whose cylinder collections belong to the UNESCO Memory of the World list.