This old-fashioned museum is based mainly on the personal collection of the man after whom the museum is named: Franz Bender. Born in 1824, Bender, like many of his day, had a passion for exploration, spending decades in Africa making his fortune, as a dealer and collector of African antiques and fine arts. In 1862, he donated it by lot to the city of Sibiu, creating the country's first true museum of non-European art. The museum also houses collections donated by other pioneers of the era, combining traditional and original art from around the world.