The World's Greatest Museums: description and photo

A unique opportunity to travel in time and space is provided by museums, where exhibits of various national cultures created by modern masters and famous ancestors are collected. The topic of the article is the most famous and great museums of the world in which you should visit.

general review

What criteria are taken as a basis?

• One of the most important is attendance. The leader is the French Louvre, whose record is close to 10 million people. In second place - the British Museum (about 8 million). The Metropolitan Museum (USA) and the Vatican Museum occupy respectively the third and fourth line of the rating. Each of them exceeded the threshold of attendance of 6 million.
• Footprint. The leader here again is the Louvre, although officially it is assigned the third position (160 thousand square meters). Formally, it is ahead of, for example, the art museum of Japan (Tokyo), but the exhibition area of the Louvre is the most impressive (58 thousand square meters).
• The world's greatest museums are determined by the number of exhibits and their historical value.
• Another criterion is the choice of travelers. Every year, the Traveler's Choice competition, which has the nomination "Museums of the World", is held. In 2016, the rating was headed by the Metropolitan Museum, and the top ten included the Chicago Institute of Arts, the Hermitage (third position) and a very young Museum on September 11 (USA), opened in 2013. His expositions are dedicated to the tragic events in New York.

The World's Greatest Museums: The Louvre (France)

Before becoming a museum, the Louvre was a fortress, and then the residence of the kings of France. His expositions were presented to the public in 1793, during the time of the Great Bourgeois Revolution. A unique collection was formed by King Francis I and was constantly replenished. In its treasuries today more than 300 thousand exhibits, 35 thousand of which are simultaneously exhibited for visitors: from Egyptian and Phoenician antiquities to modern sculptures and jewelry.

The most valuable works of art are the statues of Venus of Milo and Niki of Samothrace, paintings by Titian, Delacroix and the great Rembrandt. Art lovers come to see the masterpiece of the outstanding master of the Revival of Leonardo da Vinci - "Mona Lisa". In 1911, the canvas was stolen by the Italian Perugia, but 27 months later it was returned after lengthy negotiations with Italy. All the greatest museums in the world ensure the safety of paintings. "Mona Lisa" is the only exhibit not insured by the state, for it is considered priceless.

Today the museum, located on Rue Rivoli in the center of Paris, includes the Old and New Louvre. In 1989, an American Yong Ming Pei implemented a project to unite the Louvre in a single complex. A special entrance was built in the form of a glass pyramid, which allowed three times to increase the number of visitors.

British Museum (London)

The date of its foundation (1753) is impressive. The beginning of the collection is laid by the doctor Hans Sloan - a collector of ancient manuscripts, books, plants and medals. Today it is the largest historical and archaeological repository of Great Britain, where about 13 million exhibits are collected. They are placed in 100 galleries on the basis of territorial-chronological features. The pearls of the exposition are marbles of the Parthenon, attributed to the Greek sculptor Phidias, a Rosetta stone, which allowed deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a piece of beard of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The world's greatest museums have formed rich collections due to the robbery of the colonial countries.

In the XIX century, the old structure was demolished, and in its place the architect Robert Smike built a unique building in the neoclassical style. Located in the Bloomsbury area, in the XX century it underwent redevelopment (Foster's project), having acquired a modern look. A feature of the museum is the creation on its basis in 1972 of a separate structure - the British Library.

Vatican Museums - a single complex

It is generally accepted that the complex occupies the most significant territory. The impression is due to the high density of exhibits per unit area. The entire Vatican is located only half a square kilometer, while the museum's fund is 50 thousand paintings, sculptures and jewelry. All the greatest museums in the world (photos presented in the article) have unique features.

The main shrine of this is the Sistine Chapel, where the Pope has been elected since the 15th century. Painted with frescoes of the great Michelangelo, she is the crown of the creation of the hands of men. To get there, you need to go through dozens of museum halls, enjoying the splendor of Catholic churches, tombs and paintings by Raphael and other artists.

A small state itself can be regarded as a single museum of architectural monuments, the construction of which began in the XIV century.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA)

The New York Museum takes the first place among the winners of the Traveler's Choice, although it was founded in a later period - in the 1870s. It began with private collections, donated to the state and exhibited in the dance school premises. At the turn of the century, the architect Heid built the main building, and later - the side wings of the Metropolitan Museum, representing a number of different buildings. They are connected by stairs and passages, storing 3 million works of art. Here is the largest collection of Rembrandt's works, the Costume Institute was created.

Not all of the world's greatest museums, described in the article, boast of large-scale events, such as the annual charity ball Met Gala with the participation of world stars. In 2016, the Costume Institute celebrated its 70th anniversary.

National Museum of the Prado

Painting of the great Spaniards is represented in Madrid. The National Museum was founded in 1785 and assembled large-scale collections of paintings by Goya, Velasquez, Zurbaran and El Greco. There are also works of great Italian and Flemish craftsmen, samples of old coins, jewelry and porcelain. Since 1819, the museum is housed in the current building in the style of classicism (the architect Villanueva), and is open to visitors. On the area of 58 thousand square meters. Meters exhibited 1300 works, and the rest (more than 20 thousand) are stored in the storerooms.

The world's greatest museums often have branches. Contemporary art of the Prado is represented in the Villahermosa Palace. A feature of the Spanish museum is the restrained elegance of the buildings, in contrast to the Louvre and the Hermitage, which will be discussed below.

The Hermitage (St. Petersburg)

The name translates from French as a secluded place, but today it is one of the most visited in the world. Founded by Catherine at the end of the XVIII century, the museum has the title of the best in 2014. Under Nicholas I the collection became so large that the doors of the Imperial Palace were opened to the public. Today, 3 million works of art delight the eye of visitors, telling the story from the Stone Age. Of particular interest are the Diamond and Gold Treasuries of the Hermitage, where an additional ticket is required.

Great Russian museums are located in buildings that have cultural and historical significance for the country. The Hermitage consists of five buildings that stretch on the banks of the Neva (Palace Embankment). The magnificent Baroque Winter Palace of architect B. Rastrelli is the decoration of St. Petersburg and the greatest historical monument.