Nijmeegs Volkenkundig Museum

History of the museum

The former Nijmegen Ethnographic Museum was part of Radboud University in Nijmegen, having been founded by the anthropology department in 1979. Exhibitions were held for the general public but the collection was also used for educational purposes. The collection consisted of around 11,000 objects, many of which were on loan. For example, the museum managed the collections of various congregations and also the so-called Beijens Collection, which former KNIL soldier Jean Bijens had donated to the municipality of Nijmegen in 1912.

After the decision to close the Nijmegen Ethnographic Museum in 2005 a large part of the collection remained accessible in the Radboud University depot. The Beijens Collection was transferred to Museum Bronbeek The Capuchin Fathers' collection of objects was given on long-term loan to Ghent University in 2011. The depot closed in 2018 and the remaining items were sold.

Provenance research

The archives of the Nijmegen Ethnographic Museum are managed by the Radboud University in Nijmegen and contain a relatively small amount of material. Inventory number 'Cb05572/56' is particularly relevant as it contains various exhibition catalogues and a handwritten inventory of the museum collection. Inventory number 'cb05572/57' contains photographic material relating to the various exhibitions held at the Nijmegen Ethnographic Museum.

The Radboud University archive is not open to the public but can be accessed by submitting a motivated request to the archivist.

The Beijens Collection, which was transferred to Museum Bronbeek in Arnhem in 2010, can be viewed on the museum's collection website. More information about the ethnographic collection of Ghent University can be found on the Ghent University Museum website.