Great Britain is a country of enormous cultural heritage, the number of museums per capita here is higher than in the whole world. There are collections and exhibitions for every taste and interest. We'll tell you about the most famous ones, what you can see there and how to get there.
Art Museums
London is the recognized capital of the world art market. That's why there are many art galleries here. The most interesting museums in Great Britain:
- The Tate group of galleries in London, Liverpool, Cornwall, and the most famous of them is the Tate gallery contemporary art- included in the top 10 most visited museums in the world.
- The Serpentine Gallery in London hosts the most interesting exhibitions of contemporary art.
- The National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, which houses a superb collection of Western European art.
- London National Gallery, where you can see more than 2,300 works by European painters.
- Saatchi Gallery in London. The private collection of contemporary art by Charles Saatchi is on display here.
All art museums open to free access and annually receive several tens of millions of visitors.
Specialized museums
There are a huge number of thematic museums in England. These certainly include largest museum Great Britain - British. But we will talk about it later.
The largest natural history museum in London. It houses collections on botany, zoology, geology, and mineralogy. In total, the institution's funds number several tens of millions of exhibits. The museum is famous for the dinosaur skeleton installed in the lobby of the main building, as well as a large number of interactive exhibitions. For example, you can visit a tropical forest, in space, feel an earthquake and much more. More than 5 million visitors come here every year.
Another interesting specialized museum is dedicated to maritime history. It is located in a listed building, the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
One of the most frequently visited is the Beatles Museum. About 300 thousand fans of this group come here every year.
For modern children, the most interesting will be the Harry Potter Museum - this is a real immersion in Magic world novels by J. Rowling and films based on them.
Literary museums
England has given the world a lot famous writers, in whose honor interesting museums have been opened. Thus, the most famous literary museum in Great Britain is the Charles Dickens House Museum. It recreates the atmosphere of a real Dickensian house, as well as the furnishings of a typical 19th century wealthy class home.
Another popular museum related to literature is the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Due to the popularity of the Sherlock series, the museum is experiencing a real boom in visitors.
Of course, it is difficult to imagine England without Shakespeare. In the town of Stratford-upon-Avon there is a house-museum of the great playwright. He was born and died here, and the museum recreates the environment in which Shakespeare's family lived.
Unusual museums
England would not be itself if it were not for the most amazing and eccentric museums. First place of the most unusual museums Great Britain is occupied by a museum of teapots - Teapot Island in Yolding. Here you can see almost 8 thousand teapots, as well as buy unusual teapots and souvenirs.
In the town of Maidstone there is a Dog Collar Museum, here you can see an exhibit from the 15th century and many more recent collars.
The unusual museum was created by architect John Soane. He collected a huge collection of various antiquities from Greece, Egypt, India and made incredible collages and installations from them.
The most famous of London's unusual museums is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Here are the figures of the most famous people peace. Visitors can take selfies with Trump or the Beatles and visit the cabinet of horrors.
If you wish, you can also visit the museums of pencils, mustard, teddy bears or lawn mowers.
Top 9 UK Museums
Rating British museums is a thankless task, since choosing a museum is largely a matter of taste. However, there is a simple selection criterion - the number of visitors. According to this indicator, the top 9 includes the following institutions:
- British museum.
- Victoria and Albert Museum.
- National Museum Scotland.
- Design Museum.
- Museum-bunker "War Rooms".
- Cruiser "Belfast".
- Museum coal.
- Transport Museum.
- Art Gallery Kelvingrove.
British museum
The British museum rightfully occupies first place among British museums. It began its work back in 1753, and during its existence it has collected a huge collection of antiquities, art and household items. This includes an unprecedented number of exhibits from the archaeological excavations of Ancient Egypt; there is no such collection even in Egypt itself. Also here you can see many interesting exhibits from India, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, a good collection of works of art and household items. Admission to the museum is free, and more than 6 million visitors come here every year.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Another famous museum in Great Britain it is the Museum of Decorative applied arts and V&A designs. It is the world's largest collection of household items and decorative arts. The institution was opened in 1852 in the wake of the 1851 Universal Exhibition. Prince Albert wanted to display somewhere the items that were exhibited at this exhibition, as well as the DPI collection. The money raised from the World's Fair was used to construct the building. In 1899, on the initiative of Queen Victoria, the central building of the museum was built. In total, it occupies several buildings in South Kensington. Exhibited in the halls large collection silver and tin products, works of art, costumes. The museum has the largest collection of early British photography.
National Museum of Scotland
Another interesting UK museum is located in Edinburgh. It was originally conceived as a museum of antiquities. It contains a large collection of objects from archaeological sites in Scotland, as well as in Ancient Egypt and the East. But gradually the museum acquired other interesting exhibits. For example, an unusual exhibition dedicated to Elton John has been created here; in other rooms you can see a stuffed cloned sheep Dolly, as well as exhibitions related to scientific achievements, natural history Scotland.
Design Museum
This newest museum in London is an innovation in museum affairs. Exhibited here best works modern designers, and for them this is a kind of form of professional recognition, a significant milestone in their career. And getting objects into permanent exhibition is seen as recognition of genius. Therefore, the museum not only allows you to see the most advanced design in the world, but also serves as a platform for professional communication designers.
Museum-bunker “War Rooms”
Another interesting museum in London is dedicated to the Second World War and the activities of W. Churchill. This is his bunker. Here you can see the prime minister's personal chambers, his office, his wife's bedroom, and the operational headquarters from where Churchill controlled military operations. The museum is interesting for those who want to learn more about the history of Great Britain and life famous people.
Cruiser "Belfast"
There is another interesting London museum on the Thames - the military cruiser Belfast, which is permanently laid up near Tower Bridge. This ship is a source of pride for the British. It played a key role in the famous and most important naval battles of World War II. During a tour of the ship, tourists can explore all the premises and get acquainted with it heroic story.
Coal Museum
There is an unusual institution in the town of Blainevon: it is a real coal mine turned into a museum. To go down into the mine, you need to put on real miner's uniform weighing about 5 kilograms. In the museum you can see how hard the work of miners is, get acquainted with their life and working conditions.
Transport Museum
There is another interesting museum in London, which contains about 1000 exhibits. These are different types of vehicles - from ancient to modern. There are many exhibits dedicated to the underground, of which London is rightly proud. The interesting thing is that you can touch some of the exhibits, climb into them, and you can also try yourself as a driver of a car or a locomotive, which children really like.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery
There is an interesting one in Glasgow private museum Kelvingrove. This is a real Scottish palace, which houses a good collection of Western European art. There is also a wonderful collection of weapons and armor, antiquities and even an English fighter plane from the Second World War.
State rooms of the official residence of Elizabeth II - Buckingham Palace- open to the public in August and September when the Queen is away. There are a total of 775 rooms in the palace, 19 are open to the public, which members of the royal family use for meetings and official ceremonies. The chambers are decorated in the taste of George IV: there are many interior details from Carlton House, where the monarch lived before taking the throne, as well as paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, sculpture by Canova, Sèvres porcelain and the best examples of English and French furniture.
In addition, the palace is constantly open to the public The Queen's Gallery, where temporary exhibitions and exhibitions of the royal collection, rich in masterpieces of world art, are organized.
National Gallery
Mecca for lovers of old master art Trafalgar Square, in terms of attendance it is comparable to the Louvre, the Hermitage and the Metropolitan. Here you can see a magnificent collection of works of Western European painting from Giotto to Cezanne, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bruegel the Elder, and Vermeer. Appropriate exhibitions are held here - mainly blockbusters from the works of old masters, which also include works from the royal collection.
National Portrait Gallery
As the name suggests, it contains portraits of prominent Britons, including the so-called Chandos Portrait, which supposedly depicts William Shakespeare - the gallery's very first acquisition. A separate theme is the gallery of monarchs, from the 1592 portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Ditchley portrait, to the 2009 canvas of Princes William and Harry. Exhibitions of both classical and modern art are held here, the main thing is that portraits are exhibited. The museum is compactly located with the National Gallery - you just need to turn the corner.
Courtauld Institute of Art
Not far from National Gallery, in the Strand, is Somerset House with a gallery located there Courtauld Institute of Art. In essence, this is an educational collection: according to the founders of the institute, students were supposed to study the history of art “without leaving the cash register” - but its quality and completeness claim to be at the highest museum level. It began with the meeting of the industrialist Samuel Courtauld with the French Impressionists and grew with private collections throughout the 20th century. Now you can see art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including works by Bruegel the Elder, Cranach, Rubens, Botticelli, Tiepolo, Goya, Modigliani and Kandinsky.
Royal Academy of Arts
A stronghold of tradition in Piccadilly, with a collection of British art and numerous exhibitions of both classics and contemporary works. Every year, for almost 250 years, they have held a festival here, which is accompanied by a noisy party. Management Academy this, as it were, refutes the myth that artists become popular after death, and honors living academicians in the exhibition - Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramovich and many others.
Photo: John Bodkin
Victoria & Albert Museum
The prestigious gallery, whose patron was Princess Diana, is located in the Tea Pavilion in Kensington Gardens and presents art of the 20th century. Over 45 years, more than two thousand exhibitions of both beginning artists and stars such as Man Ray, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons have taken place here. For more than fifteen years, outstanding contemporary architects have been building for the gallery, from Oscar Niemeyer and Jean Nouvel to Rem Koolhaas, Peter Zumthor and. The latter also designed another exhibition space for the gallery - the Serpentine Sackler Gallery located here.
Serpentine Galleries temporary pavilion in 2017
Tate
Now in the group of museums Tate, by far the most famous - located opposite St. Peter's Cathedral in the building of a former power station. The project for its construction, completed Herzog Bureau& de Meuron, has become a model for the whole world in the field of habitation of abandoned industrial spaces. Now the museum occupies a leading position among the world institutions of contemporary art, not in last resort thanks to large exhibitions in the Turbine Hall, where they showed, and many others. First Tate Britain- gallery of British art - it is worth going for the art of the Pre-Raphaelites and the most representative collection of William Turner.
British Museum
Like all developing museums in the world, British museum periodically suffers from a lack of space in an early 19th century building and invites eminent architects and bureaus to expand in Bloomsbury. Yes, redevelopment internal space and the courtyard was re-roofed by Sir Norman Foster, and the World Restoration and Exhibition Center was built to the design of Rogers Stirk Harbor + Partners. Currently, the British Museum is the largest historical and archaeological museum in the world with luxurious collections Ancient world, especially in the ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman parts. Here, in particular, you can see a statue of Pharaoh Ramses II and figures from the pediment of the Parthenon.
Saatchi Gallery
Advertiser, collector and art dealer who gave birth to the Young British Artists movement Charles Saatchi reopened his huge conceptual art gallery in Chelsea in 2008. Exhibition specialization: young unknown artists with potential or those who have rarely or never been exhibited in the UK.
Newport Street Gallery
One of the most famous artists Young British Artists opened in 2015 in Vauxhall, which was converted from his studio based on the Caruso St John project. In addition to works of art from Hirst’s own collection (some of which could be seen at the exhibition at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow), including works by and, there are personal and group exhibitions of authors close to Hirst in spirit or those who at one time influenced him.
Wallace Collection
The basis Wallace meeting is the private collection of the Marquises of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, which they successively developed in Hertford for over a century, between 1760 and 1880. And they succeeded in decorating their Marylebone property with weapons and armor, furniture from the era of Louis XV, exquisite objects and paintings by the old masters - Titian, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Murillo and Velazquez, as well as an extensive collection French painting with paintings by Boucher, Delacroix and Watteau. After Wallace's death, his widow donated a magnificent collection to the state with the condition that her husband's memory be perpetuated by organizing a museum, from which not a single exhibit can be transferred even to temporary exhibitions and also cannot be accepted.
The Geoffrey Museum
Located in a former almshouse Geoffrey Museum, or as it is also called, the "Museum of Houses", recreates home interiors and garden design from the early 17th century until the 1990s. Here you can see a Victorian tea room, ladies' salons, a hippie studio and loft-style apartments. The museum is often called "the coziest in Britain."
Sir John Soane's Museum
Former home of the architect Sir John Soane, who designed the building at 10 Downing Street and the Bank of England. The interiors of the building on Lincoln Inn Fields are decorated with paintings by Canaletto and Watteau, more than 250 building models, a collection of architectural drawings and the alabaster sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I. Yet the most valuable exhibit here is considered to be a series of eight paintings by William Hogarth “The Career of a Spendthrift” (“The Adventures of The Rake"), which the architect's wife purchased at Christie's in 1802, and later Igor Stravinsky used this plot to write an opera.
Here you can also look at authentic interiors, since the architect’s will that everything remain as it was during his lifetime has been fulfilled for almost two hundred years. However, temporary exhibitions are also held here. contemporary artists, such as Marc Quinn and .
Whitechapel Gallery
Whitechapel Gallery in Tower Hamlets, east London, was founded in 1901 with the aim of educating the local population. Over the years, the gallery has strengthened its position in exhibiting contemporary and contemporary art, and there is even a joke here that the history of the Whitechapel Gallery is a history of firsts: in 1939, the institution exhibited Picasso’s famous “Guernica” during its first and only show in the UK, and in 1958 it hosted the first UK exhibition of American Expressionist Jackson Pollock. Then there were David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Richard Long, Donald Judd and so on - it’s easier to name who didn’t exhibit here. At the same time, Whitechapel Gallery does not forget about traditions and presents a rich educational program and a variety of public events.
Barbican Art Center
This complex of buildings in the Brutalist style was designed to host concerts of classical and modern music, theatrical performances, film screenings and exhibitions. Exhibitions are shown in two galleries and are usually related to photography, design or decorative arts. But not only that - they also show retrospectives of great artists like Basquiat and high-tech entertainment projects.
The Zabludowicz Collection
Anita And Poju Zabludovich began collecting contemporary art in the mid-1990s and, until it had its own space, collaborated with museums. The couple is not limited to a specific direction and brings together artists from all over the world with an emphasis on American and European. Now the collection, numbering over 3,000 works by 500 artists, is exhibited in a former 19th-century Protestant chapel in north London. The list of highlights of the collection includes works by Sigmar Polke, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Harun Mirza. It also hosts group and solo exhibitions by artists who are not part of any UK gallery pool.
Philanthropists support many institutions, including the Tate and Whitechapel Gallery, and the artists who create works specifically for them. In addition to the UK, The Zabludowicz Collection There are representative offices in the USA and Finland.
Exhibition "Library of Babylon" (2010) at The Zabludowicz Collection
White Cube
One of the world's most successful and renowned commercial galleries, based in Hong Kong, it rose to prominence after hosting some of the first exhibitions of Young British Artists, including Tracey Emin. Especially for White Cube In Bermondsey, a 1970s building was renovated and the gallery now has one of the largest themed spaces in the world - over 5,000 sq. m. In addition to three exhibition halls, there are also rooms for private art showings, an auditorium and a bookshop.
Serith Wyn Evans exhibition at White Cube
Like
London is a city where many museums, exhibitions, galleries and others are concentrated cultural sites, attracting tourists from all over the world. The British Museum is one of those places that is visited by millions of people. It is second in the world in terms of the number of exhibits after. 94 galleries with a total length of 4 kilometers - this is what awaits everyone who wants to visit this cultural landmark of London.
History and architecture of the British Museum
The history of the British Museum began with a private collection of exhibits. The English doctor Hans Sloane, who was also a famous collector of antiquities, traveler and naturalist, made a will during his lifetime. It said that for a completely symbolic fee he was donating his exhibits to King George II. At that time, the collection consisted of more than 70,000 items.
The British museum was founded on June 7, 1753 by a special act of Parliament. Subsequently, it was the Parliament that acquired exhibits from collectors in order to replenish the museum’s fund. For the opening, the museum was replenished with the Harley Library and the Cotton Library. And in 1757, the Royal Library joined the collections. Among the exhibits were genuine literary treasures, including the only surviving copy of Beowulf.
In 1759, the British Museum was officially opened to visitors at Montagu House. But not everyone could get here, only a select few. The British Museum became available for public visits almost 100 years later, but more on that later.
At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the museum bought Hamilton's collection of antique vases, Greville's minerals, and Lord Elgin's Parthenon marbles, which to this day are the real pearl of the exhibition. The Anglo-Egyptian War played an important role in the development of the British Museum, as a result of which Egypt became one of the protectorates of Great Britain. At this time, many antiquities, works of art and treasures were taken from Egypt, and this was done illegally.
The collection grew and there was a need to divide the museum by subject. But every year the space became less and less. In 1823, work began on the construction of a separate building for exhibits. The architect of the British Museum was Robert Smerk, who conceived the project in a neo-Greek style. A special feature of the building is 44 Ionic columns on the southern façade.
Construction lasted just over 30 years and in 1847 the doors of the British Museum opened to the general public. The museum's gable was built in the 1850s and was designed by Sir Richard Westmacott. Originally, the pediment would have had numbers showing "Progress of Civilization" - an idea that now seems old-fashioned. But the architect decided to depict progress differently. If you look closely, on the far left you will see an uneducated man emerging from behind a rock. He studies things such as sculpture, music and poetry, becoming "civilized". All objects are personified and represented by human figures. From left to right: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Science, Geometry, Drama, Music and Poetry.
But work on the project did not stop there - in 1857 the Great Courtyard was built, where the Round Reading Room was located in the center.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the museum had many exhibits brought from the Middle East, which was the result of archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia. Later, some collections were separated into the Natural History Museum, and in 1972 the British Library also broke away, leaving reminders of itself in the form of the aforementioned reading room. In 2000, architect Norman Foster redesigned a number of rooms and also built a glass roof over the Courtyard.
Today the British Museum's collection numbers 13 million objects. Of course, one visit is not enough to see them all. But the fact that this attraction cannot be ignored is clear.
Sections of the British Museum and their famous exhibits
The British museum is divided into 6 themes, which combine archaeological and cultural sites different countries and periods:
Ancient Egypt and Nubia
Here you can see largest collection sarcophagi and mummies (including the mummy of Cleopatra), the obelisk of Pharaoh Nectanebo II, the mathematical papyrus of Ahmes, 382 and 95 tablets of the Amarna archive, a fragment of the Sphinx's beard and the famous Roszeta stone (a stone slab on which three identical texts are carved, one in ancient Greek, and two are in ancient Egyptian, one written in demotic script and the other in hieroglyphs).
Africa, East and South Asia, Oceania, Mesoamerica
These halls contain Benin bronzes, the Diamond Sutra, the Book of Fortune-Telling, Kanishka stupas, a collection of Chinese porcelain (Percival David Foundation), and an ancient Chinese scroll, Instructions of the Senior Court Lady.
The Ancient East
Those who are interested in the culture and archeology of the East will be very interested in visiting this exhibition. Among the numerous exhibits here there is a cylinder of Cyrus, a prism of Sennacherib, jewelry of the priestess Shubad, paired figurines of “Rams in the Thicket” from 4,500 years ago, a collection of bas-reliefs, and the Balavat gate of Shalmaneser III.
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome
There are interesting exhibits here, among which are fragments of the excavations of the Knossos Palace, fragments of the frieze of the Temple of Nike Apteros, the frieze of the Temple of Apollo in Bassae, the Warren Cup, the Portland Vase, and the Elgin marbles from the Acropolis.
UK and Europe
It contains the gold cup of Charles V, the cape from Mold, the Franks casket, the Isle of Lewis chess set, Fuller's brooches, Anglo-Saxon hoards and Lindow Man - the remains of a man who died during the Iron Age.
Graphics and engraving
The gallery features famous engravings such as Goya's "Disasters of War", graphic drawings by Raphael, Albrecht Durer, Michelangelo, William Blake, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.
Information for visitors: where it is located, opening hours and how much admission costs
British Museum address: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
Nearest bus stop: Montague Street (Stop L).
Nearest metro stations: Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square, Holborn.
Entrance to the British Museum: free, except for guest exhibitions. The museum has donation boxes where tourists throw one or two pounds into the museum fund.
Schedule: the museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:30, on Fridays from 10:00 to 20:30. Some galleries may be closed without prior notice.
It is better to find out more about the opening hours of the halls and temporary exhibitions on the official website.
On the grounds of the British Museum there is gift shop and two cafes where you can grab a bite to eat after a long walk through the galleries.
A half-hour walk from the British Museum is located, which every guest of the city should also see. To have time to get to know the capital of Great Britain, you need to stay here for at least a week. Our catalog includes - most of them are within walking distance of the main attractions.
To learn the complex, confusing and surprising interesting story In the United Kingdom, to get in touch with the traditions and culture of its multinational population, it is not enough to visit just London. Of course, you need to start getting acquainted with Foggy Albion from its capital, because the museums in London contain unique exhibits, and by walking along its streets you can see the most famous sights of London, which have long been business card UK. But Great Britain is famous not only for its fogs, but also for its many Mysteries and mysteries hidden from the eyes of ordinary tourists. In this article we will take you on a short journey throughout the UK and get acquainted with some museums in England, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
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American Museum in Bath 
The city of Bath, built by the Romans, can itself be called a unique museum in England under open air. But in addition to the Roman baths, in honor of which the city received its name, there are many interesting museums in England. One of these interesting museums in Great Britain is the American Museum. Here you can see unique collection quilts (about 200) of various 18th-20th centuries: 50 quilts can be seen in the textile department, the rest in historical departments Museum of England. Also in the textile gallery you can get acquainted with objects of decorative and applied art of the Navajo Indians. Around the museum in Great Britain there are gardens and parks, which are also connected with the history of America and its first inhabitants, the Indians.
Nowhere except London is there such a huge number of attractions, museums, and exhibitions that constantly attract tourists. There are numerous tourist sites and exhibitions of almost any type. They are constantly open to visitors, the flow of which does not dry out over time.
The main historical and archaeological museum in the UK and one of the largest in the world is the British Museum in London.
It is constantly at the top of the ranking in terms of attendance among museums in the world. The British Museum is located in Bloomsbury, a historic district of London.
All visitors to the British Museum can view the historical and cultural values. 94 galleries are open to tourists, with a length of about 4 kilometers.
Naturally, it is impossible to get acquainted with so many exhibits in one or two days. Among the museum staff there are Russian speaking guides, which will help Russian tourists better understand historical facts, as well as cats.
6 cats are officially on the staff of the British Museum : They are decorated with yellow bows, behave with dignity in the halls and protect museum valuables from rodent infestations.
History of the museum
Like many other collections in England, the British Museum arose from a private collection. During his lifetime, the famous English collector of antiquities, doctor and naturalist Hans Sloan drew up a will, according to which, for a certain nominal fee, his entire collection of more than 70 thousand exhibits passed to King George II.
Thanks to this, English national fund has expanded significantly. This happened in June 1753. At the same time, antiquarian James Cotton donated his library to the state, and Count Robert Harley donated a unique collection of ancient manuscripts. The creation of the historical museum was approved by a special act of the British Parliament.
In 1759 the museum was opened to visitors in Montague House. At first, museum visitors could only be chosen people. The museum opened for everyone only in 1847, when it was built modern building museum.
The British Museum collection has been constantly expanded. IN late XVIII century, the museum acquired Greville's collection of minerals, W. Hamilton's antique vases, Townley marbles, and bought masterpieces from the Parthenon from Lord Elgin.
Some exhibits in the museum ended up in an almost criminal way: to this day, Greece and Egypt demand the return of some valuable relics (for example, the Rosetta Stone - a slab with text in the ancient Egyptian language) taken illegally from these countries.
In the 19th century, the British Museum in London began to grow and develop rapidly. At this time, it became necessary to divide the museum into departments, some of which were moved to another location. A numismatic department has appeared, where medals and coins from different countries related to different eras(including ancient Greek, Persian, ancient Roman).
The geological, mineralogical, botanical and zoological departments were separated into a separate Natural History Museum, which was moved to South Kensington in 1845. From 1823 to 1847, the Montagu House mansion was demolished, and in its place stood a modern building in the classicist style, created by the architect R. Smirk.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of exhibits from the Middle East increased thanks to exhibitions held in Mesopotamia. archaeological excavations. Since 1926, the museum has published its own magazine quarterly, which covers events taking place in the museum.
At the end of the 20th century, when preparations were being made for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the museum, exhibition halls. Under the leadership of Norman Foster, the space was redeveloped: new premises appeared, the galleries were updated, and an additional area was glazed.
Museum expositions
At first the museum was conceived only as a collection of antiquities from Greece and Rome, but gradually exhibits appeared different eras from other places for which all new departments were organized:
- The Greco-Roman collection in the British Museum is located in 12 rooms. It includes luxury items dating back to the times of the Roman emperors, Lycian sculptures, sculptures from the Temple of Apollo at Phigalia, remains of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, etc.
- The Oriental department of the museum presents collections of sculptures, paintings, ceramics and engravings from the countries of South and South-East Asia. There are Indian bronze statues of Buddha, monuments of hieroglyphic writing dating back to the 2nd millennium BC, ritual vessels Ancient China and other ancient oriental treasures.
- In the Department of the Middle Ages and Modern Times you can see works of decorative and applied art from the times of early Christianity to the 19th century. There are many religious objects, dishes and jewelry made of silver, knightly armor and medieval weapons, collections of ceramic and glass products of the 18th-19th centuries, church utensils and the world's largest collection of watches.
- British Museum collection of drawings and prints artistic value and size is on a par with the famous Louvre. This department contains paintings by Botticelli , Van Dyck, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Durer, Van Gogh, Raphael and many others.
- The number of medals and coins in the numismatics department exceeds 200 thousand copies. Here you can see coins from the 7th century BC to modern examples, as well as coins made of precious metals. Also in the department are almost all the medals dedicated to important historical events countries, including medals at the London 2012 Olympics.
- In the ethnography department you can get acquainted with objects of everyday life and culture of the peoples of Australia, Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, starting with the discovery of these lands by Columbus, Cook and other famous navigators.
- The British Museum is also the largest library in Great Britain, numbering more than 7 million volumes of various publications, about 200 thousand items of manuscripts on European languages, more than half a million geographical maps and almost a million copies of sheet music. About 20 thousand technical and scientific journals. The British Museum library has 6 reading rooms for 670 visitors.
The museum regularly conducts thematic excursions and is open on Sundays. kids club"Young Friend of the British Museum", whose members have access to additional interesting exhibitions. “Nights at the Museum”, held 4 times a year, are popular here, as throughout the world. Every night is spent specific topic, for example "Egyptian Night" or "Japanese Night".
Tourist Information
The museum is open daily, its opening hours: 10-00 – 17-30. From Thursday to Friday, some departments work longer, up to 20-30.
Now the museum's fund is replenished mainly through donations from patrons or collectors. Some exhibits were purchased with parliamentary money. Entry to the British Museum is free, but it is considered in good form leave a small donation, for which special boxes are installed in the museum.
The British Museum is huge in area and in the number of exhibits on display, so you shouldn't try to get around it in one or two days. It is better to choose one or two exhibitions that are most interesting to you and devote your time entirely to them. Otherwise, what will remain from visiting the museum is not positive emotions and new knowledge, but fatigue and a sore head.