Wereldmuseum Leiden: from Japanese Buddhas to Papua and Sámi art
The former Museum Volkenkunde explores cultures across the world and has three temporary exhibitions on view.
The institution once known as Museum Volkenkunde is now called Wereldmuseum Leiden. According to the museum, the Leiden location focuses on cultural histories across the world and examines the responsibilities of an ethnographic museum. It is part of Wereldmuseum, which also has locations in Amsterdam, Nijmegen and Rotterdam.
According to its website, the combined Wereldmuseum collections contain nearly 450,000 objects, 260,000 photographs and around 350,000 other visual items. These figures cover all the locations together, not Leiden alone. The museum can display only a small portion in its galleries, so a visit offers a selection from a much larger collection.
The Leiden galleries include Japanese Buddha statues, some cast in 1648 for the Tokugawa shoguns’ mausoleum. A restored folding screen by Kawahara Keiga and an interactive account of Deshima are also part of the displays.
According to the museum’s website, Tijd voor Papoea runs from 13 February 2026 through 3 January 2027. The exhibition brings together different perspectives through wood carvings, korwar figures, canoe prows and recent films. These objects are more than decoration: the museum places them within a range of stories about Papua.
Sámi Art, Land, Power and Yuki Kihara: Darwin in Paradise Camp are also on view. The former combines contemporary art, fashion, crafts and video with objects from the collection and runs through 5 September 2027, according to the museum’s website. Yuki Kihara’s solo presentation runs through 3 January 2027. Contemporary artworks are not pictured here.
The address is Steenstraat 1, 2312 BS Leiden. The museum’s visitor page lists opening hours of 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday; it also opens on Mondays during school holidays.
An adult ticket costs €16 online or €18 at the door, according to the museum website. Tickets for children aged six through eighteen cost €6.50 online or €8 at the door. A valid Museumkaart gives free admission. The ticket page says that a ticket remains valid all day.