The history of collections belonging to the Neuchâtel Museum of Ethnography (MEN) dates back to the eighteenth century. The first items, given to the City of Neuchâtel in 1795, came from the General Charles Daniel de Meuron Cabinet of natural history.
After being moved and divided several times, ethnographic artifacts were transferred to the Saint-Nicolas hill, in the villa donated by James-Ferdinand de Pury, where the MEN was established and inaugurated on July 14 in 1904.
A building designated for temporary exhibitions, its north wing decorated by Hans Erni's mural painting Man's Conquests, was erected in 1954-55. In 1986, a new construction was inserted between the two previous ones, thus allowing the expansion of University's Institute of Ethnology. Even though they are financially separated, the two institutions complement each other well. They share the same library and are occasionally involved in joint initiatives.
Today the MEN houses some 30 000 objects, half of which come from Africa: East and South Africa, the 30's in Angola, Sahara and Sahel (the Tuaregs and the Moors); Gabon. It also contains Asian, Eskimo and Oceanian collections, non-European musical instruments and items from the ancient Egypt.

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