A museum is one of the largest cultural heritage resources, showing thousands of collections, exhibitions, and artifacts from around the world. There are approximately 55,000 museums in the world showcasing a wide array of artifacts, arts, cultures, paintings, dramas and much more. Not only they exhibit these antiques and artifacts but they also safeguard these art objects for future generations and hold some of the largest and most important collections on the planet.
Best Museums In The World
Here is the list of best and must-visit museums in the world:
1. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian is the world’s largest research and museum complex, comprising 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and various research stations. Encompassing more than 137 million objects it is regarded as “the nation’s attic”. Apart from, this it has more than 200 institutions and museums in 45 states. Furthermore, Smithsonian collections include 156 million artworks, artifacts, and specimens of which The National Museum of Natural History houses 145 million of these specimens and artifacts.
2. National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. It encompasses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. The National Archaeological Museum was founded at the end of the 19th century and is only the largest archaeological museum in Greece. Also, its collection of Ancient Greek art is considered one of the finest in the world which are divided into various exhibitions, including the Prehistory Collection, the Sculpture Collection, the Metallurgy Collection and much more.
3. National Palace Museum
Located in the capital city of Taiwan, the National Palace Museum has the largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world. Originally established as the Palace Museum in Beijing’s Forbidden City in the year 1925, the museum encompasses nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection also includes 8,000 years of history of Chinese art from the Neolithic age to the modern.
However, at the time of the Chinese Civilian War, the extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
4. Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery, a prominent art museum is located in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. Constructed in the 16th century as the offices for the Florentine magistrates, Uffizi Gallery encompasses the collections of Renaissance paintings and sculptures from classical antiquity. Also, it contains one of the world’s most important collections of paintings.
5. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim is a modern and contemporary art museum designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. Located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain, the museum was established in the year 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain. The Guggenheim Museum is a spectacular twisting titanium-clad modern art museum and also the most celebrated building of the 1990s. Also, it features some of the permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists.
6. Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage is an art and culture museum located in the majestic city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Designated as the second-largest art museum in the world, it was founded in the year 1764 by Catherine the Great, when Empress Catherine acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. Also, it is a massive museum of art and culture showing the highlights of a collection of over 3 million items spanning the globe that makes it truly one of the best museums in the world.
7. Museum of Modern Art
Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, The Museum of Modern Art is home to the greatest collection of modern art in the world. It encompasses the best collection of modern masterpieces worldwide including Monet’s Water Lilies, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and van Gogh’s Starry Night. In addition to the artwork, one of the main exhibits of MoMA is the building itself. Apart from this, it also offers an overview of modern and contemporary art, such as works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist’s books, film, and electronic media.
8. Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum was established in the year 1872. It is the oldest Japanese national museum, the largest art museum in Japan and one of the largest art museums in the world. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of artworks and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing primarily on ancient Japanese art and Asian art along the Silk Road. It also has an extensive collection of Greco-Buddhist art.
9. Prado Museum
Designated as the main Spanish national art museum, the Prado Museum is located in the capital city of Spain, central Madrid. It is widely considered to have one of the world’s finest, richest and most comprehensive collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 19th century. Also, it features some of the best collections of European art such as the Majas of Goya (La Maja Vestida and La Maja Desnuda) and Las Meninas by Velazquez. Also, The Museo del Prado is one of three museums in Madrid that make up the Golden Triangle of Art.
10. Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is an art and history museum located in the capital city of Netherlands, Amsterdam. It is a Dutch national museum which is the largest and the most prestigious museum for art and history across the Netherlands. It encompasses a vast collection of paintings ranging from the Dutch Golden Age to works by Vermeer and Rembrandt. Furthermore, the museum’s expansive, evocative collection also includes sculptures, archaeological artifacts, Asian art, prints, items from Dutch maritime history and many other culturally significant objects, so that visitors can explore 800 years of Dutch history within a global context.
11. Vatican Museums
Famed for its spiral staircase, the Raphael Rooms and the exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums wa founded by Pope Julius II in the 6th century. Located in the Vatican City of Rome, they are among the best museums in the world. However, under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. And today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgment, is widely believed to be Michelangelo’s crowning achievements in painting.
12. Louvre
Located in the Francis capital of Paris, Louvre is one of the largest and most visited art museums in the world. The museum was opened in the year 1793 and is all over the world for its glass pyramid which was added to the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in 1989. Today, it serves as the main entrance to the museum. Furthermore, this museum also encompasses diverse exhibits such as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, medieval Europe and Napoleonic France including Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa, the most famous one.
13. Metropolitan Museum of Art
Also known as The Met, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park in New York City. Originally opened in the year1872, this massive gothic-style building holds hundreds of rooms on its two floors, containing more than two million works of art from across human history, covering virtually every field of art in existence. Apart from its permanent exhibitions, the Met organizes and hosts large traveling shows throughout the year which makes it one of the most visited destinations in New York City.
14. Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is one of the world’s best museums that boasts nearly 120,000 items of ancient Egyptian antiquities. Also, it encompasses two main floors of the museum i.e. the ground floor and the first floor. The ground floor encompasses an extensive collection of papyrus and coins used in by the ancient Egyptians and the first floor contains artifacts from the final two dynasties of Ancient Egypt and also many artifacts taken from the Valley of the Kings. Apart from this, it also includes the objects from the Tomb of Tutankhamen and the Royal Mummy Room containing 27 royal mummies from pharaonic times.
15. British Museum
Often regarded as the museum of human history and culture, the British Museum in London was established in the year 1753. It is one of the top destinations in London to be visited by travelers. Encompassing a collection of more than seven million objects, it is one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in the world. British museum demonstrates from all continents, the story of human culture right from its beginnings to its present form. Also, it boasts numerous objects such as Rosetta Stone, the key to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, and the largest collection of mummies outside of Egypt.
16. Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum was established in the year 1970. It spreads over an area of 40-acre land where you can find 50 exhibit buildings beautifully constructed inside. The tale of this site dates back to Britain’s past ruler over 600 years. You can find bits and stories of the old village here and know more from the museum guide.
17. The National Museum of Anthropology
This museum was established in the year 1964. It is one of the most visited and famous historical museums in Mexico. The museums have stored in historic precious pieces such as the Aztec Calendar Stone and the Xochipilli statue and much more. Their collections have substantially grown and added up in the past few years and stored with proper preservation. The museum lays more importance on the different fields of Mexico such as it’s anthropology, archaeology, and ethnology.
18. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a state museum in Polland that speaks about the ancient history of those who died in the Holocaust and during World War II. The museum enables the visitors to see for themselves the importance of the holocaust memorial and also has the original site preserved as and how they were years ago. The place is no less than and adventurous haunting site. The exhibition is highly informative and also one of the most visited attractions in Polland.
19. The Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses
The Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses one of the greatest findings from the past. The museum holds an informative in-depth life exhibit of Emperor Qin. The museum also has some astonishing historic details and sculptures along with the remarkable terracotta warrior information labeled across. The most fascinating thing is the three open pits complete with terracotta warriors and horses. The place is indeed very interesting to visit as it gives a deeper insight into China’s History more than what we know. It is no less than a wonder!
20. Acropolis Museum
This historic museum was found in the year 2003. It mainly archaeological Acropolis of Athens site. The place is 14,000 square meters in total and it nearly 4,000 objects from the Greek Bronze Age, the Roman period, and Byzantine Greece.
21. Hagia Sophia Museum
Hagia museum is no less than one of the world’s most visited monuments for its unique architecture and design. Dating back from the 6th century, Hagia Sophia was considered as one of the wonders due to its magnificent architectural dome. The museum speaks in volume with the pieces of art, paintings and other findings all related to the Byzantine and Ottoman empires along with the relations of eastern Christianity and Islam. The building was previously both, a church and a museum.
Read More, Famous monuments in India
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