The fund kept by the Department of Ethnology is an invaluable source of knowledge about the social conditions and cultural identity of southeastern Serbia in the period from the 18th to the 20th century. More than 5,000 objects are stored in the depots, divided into 15 collections: folk costumes, textile furniture, carpets, jewelry, ceramics, metal furniture, wooden furniture, musical instruments, folk crafts, photographs, old crafts, smoking accessories, agricultural devices and tools, glassware and porcelainware. In terms of the number and importance of artifacts the collections of textile items stand out, which make up half of the total inventory of the ethnological department.
