The Estonian National Museum was founded in Tartu in 1909 on the initiative and with the support of the nation – with the task to protect and develop the history and culture of Estonia. Today, Estonian National Museum preserves the feeling of continuity and tradition. The museum is the generator and developer of cultural dialogue which links the past and the future. ENM`s role as a centre of ethnological research is to record, study and interpret culture as a way of life, taking into account its periodical, spatial and social diversity. The Museum's function as a contemporary cultural and tourist centre is to show our culture`s uniqueness and primeval power of creation to every Estonian and visitor. The main emphasis of research and collecting is on Estonian everyday life in the second half of the 20th century as well as on the Estonian diaspora and audiovisual, archival and artifactual data from Finno-Ugric cultures. The Estonian National Museum has been and will probably remain one of the most influential centers of ethnology in Estonia both in research and in teaching. Through the years, the University of Tartu’s ethnology department has to a great extent depended on the research and collections of the museum. Scientific contacts with Western colleagues reestablished only recently have generated many new ideas, broadened our minds and given us confidence in our future work.
