Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich

The positive aspect of this museum is that the staff are friendly and helpful. However, the exhibition in itself is very heavy on privileging interpretation over the exhibition of actual ethnological items. This museum is not necessarily alone in this, however wasting precious exhibition space with videos and long interactive displays rather than exhibiting as many items as possible is not productive. Indeed, the most extensive gallery dealt with issues of provenance for the Benin Bronzes- however, the exact same facts are on display in London and Berlin in their respective collections- those interested in ethnological collections are already well aware of these facts and Zürich is not adding anything new to these debates. The reality is that the most attractive items are languishing somewhere in a storage space. My suggestion: review the university ethnological collections in storage, as well as the Rietberg collections and consult other museums nationally and internationally for loans of stored items and then display as many items as possible. The public is smart enough to make up their own minds about what they are seeing.

Very cool museum, acknowledges the history of the pieces and the impact colonialism had on the education in the places where it was looted from. Also showcases their active steps in repairing that imbalance and directly involving Nigerian people in their projects and research.

It was an interesting find on the swiss museum pass with a focus on explaining people why etnographic museums are showing people the evolution of humanity. I thought etnographical museums had a more national component, but you'll see a lot of the african cultures showcased here. it was a free entry but did not understand why.

It's a very small museum which consists of 2-3 exhibitions. The main one is the Benin treasures and the discussion of giving back plundered treasures to Africa. Free entrance. Next to it there's the old botanical garden which is nice for a small walk or to spend a while sitting.

Very informative and powerful exhibition on the looted artifacts of Benin. Even if you are not a history buff, this exhibition is very easy to digest and follow through. It’s a very important topic and all in English as well. Only took roughly 45 minutes. Highly recommend!

Besides a few stolen Benin Bronze's, there is nothing in this museum. It is free, but not worth the time to visit. Only two small rooms.

Hidden gem! Spent ~1 hour there but could be easily spent way more time. The exhibitions and captions were all really thoughtful. There were English and German subtitles throughout the whole museum.

Outstanding display on the "Benin Bronzes"