The object collections have been built up over more than a hundred years. Systematic collecting began in 1909 after the museum was founded. The older part of the collection consists primarily of ethnographic objects, a large proportion of which were collected during fieldwork carried out before the Second World War. This is the largest and richest object collection reflecting traditional folk culture in Estonia, and it includes objects from all Estonian parishes. In recent decades, the collection has been supplemented mainly with materials from the Republic of Estonia, the Soviet period, and contemporary times, which have been the main focus of ERM’s research and exhibition activities.
The largest object groups include folk costumes, clothing and footwear, jewellery, handicraft tools, agricultural tools, beer tankards, tableware and utensils, rugs, household textiles, and objects related to home furnishings, as well as badges and medals, among others.
The ERM object collection is divided into four major subcollections:
- Estonian Collection (collection code ERM A)
- Finno-Ugric Collection (ERM B)
- World Cultures Collection (ERM C)
- Cultural History Collection (ERM D)
The size of the museum collection changes constantly due to ongoing collecting work. In 2025, the approximate figures were: Estonian Collection 108,000; Finno-Ugric Collection 10,000; World Cultures Collection 3,100; and Cultural History Collection 22,500 museum objects.
Over the past couple of decades, extensive digitisation has taken place, and as a result 94% of the object collections have been photographed. Descriptions and photographs of the museum objects can be found in the Museums Information System, MuIS.
For questions, please contact koguhoidjad@erm.ee.