Ethnographic Institute

Address:
Kobližná 1
659 37, Brno
phone: +420 542 422 361
e-mail: etnografie@mzm.cz

Head of the department:

PhDr. Hana Dvořáková
Toys, folk religiosity, film, Centre of Folk Art Production.
phone: +420 542 422 374, e-mail: hdvorakova@mzm.cz

Staff members:

PhDr. Helena Beránková - curator of the collection of photographs and graphics
phone: +420 542 422 372, e-mail: hberankova@mzm.cz
PhDr. Alena Kalinová - folk art, (pottery, glass, paintings on glass)
phone: +420 542 422 377, e-mail: akalinova@mzm.cz
Mgr. Gabriela Zmeškalová - folk textile
phone: +420 542 422 383, e-mail: gzmeskalova@mzm.cz
PhDr. Jarmila Pechová - crafts and production, agriculture
phone: +420 542 422 386, e-mail: jpechova@mzm.cz
PhDr. Eva Večerková, CSc. - furniture, customs and traditions (esp. Easter eggs), old prints
phone: +420 542 422 380, e-mail: evecerkova@mzm.cz
Libuše Dufková - conservator (textile)
phone: +420 542 422 376, e-mail: ldufkova@mzm.cz
Karolina Urbánková - conservator
phone: +420 542 422 388, e-mail: kurbankova@mzm.cz

The Ethnographic Institute of the Moravian Museum is one of the oldest museum departments. It follows up with the activities of the folkloristic, more precisely ethnographic department.
The first collections of extra-European ethnography were constituted thanks to donations of travellers of Moravian origin. In the second half of the 19th century, curators Josef Januška and Jaroslav Helfert started to document the folk culture in Moravia. Their collections reflect the flourishing of folk culture in the 19th century and thanks to a systematic research work the following stage too.
The seat of the Ethnographic Institute is the Palace of Noble Ladies with workrooms, conservation laboratories, some storerooms, and a library. The institute holds more than 110 000 collection items, it co-operates with foreign specialised institutions and takes part in international projects.
The activities of its staff include field research, publications, and consulting.
The Ethnographic Institute is an important centre of education of social sciences students. Exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and folklore performances make it one of the popular centres of social life in Brno.